A new police foot patrol in Winnipeg's downtown this week will hopefully address crime as it happens as well as improve the downtown area's image, according to the city's police chief.
The downtown patrol was officially unveiled on Thursday, although the first eight officers have already been walking the beat since Sunday. Another 12 officers are expected to be brought on board within the next few months.
"Some people feel that downtown is not safe; that's a perception. There's more of that than we want, and we have to do something to make people feel comfortable when they go downtown," police Chief Keith McCaskill told reporters.
"The more people we get downtown, the safer it's going to be, perception-wise and in reality."
Const. Lorraine McDonald, one of the new foot patrol officers, said she has noticed a difference in how people approach her on the street compared to when she was in a cruiser.
"People are smiling, they're nodding, they're saying hello — that's the one thing I find," she said.
"It's a closer contact than being in a car or just being called when it's a bad incident," she added. "I think they see us as a human being in a uniform, as opposed to just a uniform driving around in a car."
The downtown patrol officers will work on days and evenings, seven days a week, and will be assigned to specific beats around downtown, according to police.
The foot patrol officers are part of a 58-officer contingent that has been promised by the city. The remaining officers will be assigned to the gang unit and cruiser patrols over time.
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