Crime Statistics and The Westbrook Train Station

So the main reason that I started this blog was because of what has happened in the neighbourhood since the Westbrook C-Train station opened in December of 2012.  Anyone living and working in the area, myself included, can attest to the fact that once the station opened things around here changed, and not really for the better. Sure it gave us a quicker, more direct means of getting to the downtown core.  What it also did was give crime a quicker, more direct means of coming to the community.

It's something that's been bugging me since 2013, so finding myself unemployed and left with too much time on my hands, I figured I'd try to do something about it.  If nothing came of it I could at least say that I tried.

So, what could I do.  The idea dawned on me that a CPS Community Station in Westbrook Mall might be a start. I mean, I realized that opening up what is basically an administration station in the mall wouldn't suddenly bring crime in the area to a screeching halt.  But it would be a start.  

If things were ever going to get better around here it wouldn't just be a matter of having the police patrol the area more.  Having seen what is going on I can say with confidence that the CPS has their hands pretty full right now, and they are doing an outstanding job.  What they will be needing is more resources (money) in order to get the job done.

This now meant having to deal with things on the political level, and if there is one thing that politicians want to see, it's numbers.  If you are going to be going to any level of government with hat in hand, it helps to come backed-up with the numbers.  And, boy did I come up with some numbers.  There is a plethora of information available online if you look for it.  On the CPS website, there are links to a number of different reports and statistics.  Among these is a report on the number of calls to CPS and the nature of these calls.  Information in every call to CPS, the nature of the call, and the neighbourhood it came from is available.

So, I started out trying to see what these numbers looked like in the communities surrounding Westbrook Station.  Sure enough, the numbers were backing up what we in the area had known since 2012.  As I started to gather and analyze the data, some things began to stand out, and more questions began to present themselves.  

I have gathered my data in what I hope is are easy to navigate spreadsheets along with my analysis of it.  Bear in mind, I'm not a professional or an academic, I'm just a regular guy that lives in a fairly regular neighbourhood, that wants to point out that there are a few problems that need to be addressed by the powers that be.  I am posting the results here for the citizens of the communities of west Calgary to see, but the information I've gathered is for all communities in the City of Calgary.  

I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to publish my findings as they further strengthen the argument for an increase in the police budget, an argument made by CPS Sgt./CPA President Les Kaminski in an article that appeared in local media yesterday.

During the course of doing my research, I've come across something else that I think needs to be addressed.  I have started  digging into it a bit more, and am now working on an investigative piece that I will be publishing soon on my blog MyCalgaryIssues.  

Stay tuned.........

Follow the links below to read the statistics and analysis.

West Neighbourhood Calls Analysis

Analysis of Social Disorder Calls 2008-Q3 '16

2012-2014 Detailed Crime Statistics

2015-2017 Detailed Crime Statistics