On May 26, 2026. The Chamber of Commerce attended MHPS Downtown Information Night, hosted by the Downtown Patrol Unit.

What’s being done to support safety and confidence in downtown Medicine Hat? This recap from the recent MHPS Downtown Information Night highlights the work of the Downtown Patrol Unit, key trends they’re seeing, available supports for businesses, and practical steps property owners can take to help create a safer, more welcoming downtown.

History:

• October 2020 was the first time they deployed a full time police team in the downtown core.
• With the introduction of bicycle patrol in Spring 2025, response speed has improved.
• In 2024, Edmonton and Calgary received more police resources offered by the province. It was then requested that Medicine Hat receive at least 1 or 2 members through the province, but this was not successful. City Council was also lobbied by Chief Murphy and made the same request and were successful.
• It is important to note that the resources were not taken from anywhere else within the police service; they were added to what already existed.
• The downtown unit has grown while other units within the police service are working with fewer resources. This shows both a need and a belief in the unit from the public and the municipality.

The Downtown Patrol Team

Goal: Enhance safety and promote a welcoming atmosphere in the downtown core.

• It is a place that their unit lives too, and they want to make it a thriving place for recreation and for enjoying our city and local businesses.
• They are working to promote the message that downtown is a safe place to be.
• The unit has recently grown from 3 to 5 officers.
  
  Amber Thompson: Analyst
• Analyzes computer data to identify hot spots that require attention.
• Coordination of bail packages for repeat offenders are provided to the bail office, with the goal of documenting history to help oppose their release.
• If someone is being held for a bail hearing, the information is updated so the most recent details are available.
  
  Additional Officer Responsibilities:

Sergeant:

• Drug treatment Court
• Ceremonial Team

Constable:

• Control Tactics instructor
• TACT member
• Recruitment Team: Recently we have been recruiting significantly, which results in members being tasked with conducting interviews, and completing background checks which can be time-consuming.
• Athletic Committee

Area of Responsibility

3 Ave SE – North Railway St SE   |   River Rd SE to 5 St SE (They will extend toward Kingsway when resources allow and the need exists, but priority is the downtown core.)

DPU Mandate

• Operational policing
• Community Engagement: They want to be involved so that the community can see that they are down there to help.
• Problem Solving: If there are business concerns, they want to hear about them and how they can work together for solutions.
• Community Partnerships & Relationships: They have worked to build relationships with local community groups.

Contacting DPU: 587-770-2288

The number rings on all five of their phones. Whoever is available to help will answer the call. If there is no answer, call the non-emergency number or 911. Do not leave a voicemail as this is not monitored for urgent or time sensitive situations.

Non urgent inquiries: Call, send a text message, or leave a voicemail if you have a question or would like advice.

Top 5 complaints for all Medicine Hat police units:

• Unwanted guests: someone on property that they want removed.
• Suspicious Person(s): someone who appears to be smoking drugs, seems suspiciously out of place ex. carrying a bat around in a situation that having a bat doesn’t make sense.
• Check the Well-Being: anyone not well, passed out who may require help
• Found Property: backpacks, wallets, ID’s, etc
• Other Dispute: Verbal non-physical arguments

The good news for the community is that none of these are criminal offences; all are more nuisance-related. The DPU recognizes these offences do lead to disorder and are extremely frustrating for business owners and patrons of the downtown area and thus we proactively identify these actions and deal with them immediately.

Supporting a Safe Community & Downtown

• DPU: Downtown Patrol Unit
• PEACE Team: The biggest benefit of the PEACE team is the prevention of permanent encampments
• Social Disorder Policing: Extra duty shifts were put in place to help deal with the issues we have seen downtown to help bolster the team.
• Hot Spot Policing: Relatively new in the last 6-8 months. If crimes are frequently happening in a certain area extra-duty shifts can be deployed on an “as needed" basis.  (not limited to the downtown core)
• Police Briefings in the Park: An inspector and other members from the Office of the Chief of Police will provide briefings in the park to discuss what is happening in the downtown core with police members. Locations have included Batus Park, Towne Square, and Veterans Park in the past. These briefings help show police presence in the area. The specific briefings are not open to the public, but members of the public are welcome to engage with officers at the conclusion of the meeting.

Challenges:

• Weather conditions: largely affect the amount of crime.
• Housing disruption/shortage: Closing of the Mustard Seed and the housing shortage are currently in a state of change and the DPU is seeing the results. These have led to more displaced people during the days and DPU manages their actions and directs them to resources when applicable.
• Client readiness for change: Until someone dealing with an addiction is ready, they are not going to change their lives. It is an unfortunate truth that some would rather be homeless than housed.

Underlying Issues

• Meth and Fentanyl are the most frequently seen drugs
• This is not unique to Medicine Hat

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design:

If anyone would like an analysis done on their property, they can call or text at any time. Arrangements will be made to review any concerns. Between 30 and 50 businesses have already had this done, and they are happy to have a conversation you.

• DPU Trained
• Property Analysis
• Identify Issues and determine reasonable solutions
• Most common solutions relate to the prevention of crime through access control and surveillance.

Downtown Enhancement and Safety Grant:

A 50% matching grant is available for spending between $250 and $5,000. Cameras, lighting, and gates on windows may qualify. As long as it is crime-preventative, it can be considered.

Less than half of the money has been allocated ($70,000 is the total value of the grant funds available), but there is still room for applicants.

Protection & Prevention

Ways to protect yourself:

• Report all suspicious and unusual activity
• “Buddy system” (walk in pairs when uncomfortable)
• Safe Parking – After 4pm downtown you can stay in the 2 hour parking for extended periods as the time restriction is no longer in effect. If you know you will be staying late, move your car closer to your workplace’s entrance for when you leave after dark.
• Restrict access: If your business is not reliant on regular foot traffic, create a locked-door system with a doorbell for service.

Ways to protect your property:

• Report all suspicious and unusual activity
• Add lighting to dark areas
• Eliminate enclosure and gathering areas
• Shut off power to your exterior electrical receptacles when they are not in use. Much undesired activity occurs because people can plug in their devices or access Wi-Fi.

DPU Successes:

• Has made a connection with over 220 shops and services
• Bus terminal loitering was reduced with additional security guards hired in April 2022.
• Built relationships with numerous Social Service Agencies
• Built relationships with clientele – Mutual respect with the unhoused community and respect for each other.
• Housing: bridging the gaps with our community supports.
• Community Assisted Response Team (CARE Team), September 2022 – August 2023
• Police Crisis Team (PACT)
• Recovery Alberta Outreach Team

It is estimated that 66% of calls (or greater) are generated proactively by the DPU team rather than by business owners or the public calling in complaints. This means the work is mostly proactive instead of reactive.

QUESTIONS:

If drug use is happening, do I call you every time?

• Yes. If there is any debate about whether to call, call.

What is an emergency and what is not? 

• Call 911 when:
• Life is in danger, or someone is seriously hurt or likely to be seriously hurt
• A crime is actively in progress.

When you call 911, is it someone local?

• Yes, Police and Fire are local to here, EMS is transferred to Calgary.

Hours of service?

• Monday - Friday: business hours, some shifts are as early as 7am and some end as late as 7pm

Are there certain busier times?

• No real rhyme or reason, however DPU has noticed calls can fluctuate with paydays such as AISH. Activity can decrease because money is spent on a hotel, or increase if it is spent on drugs.

What should businesses do when there are issues/concerns on the weekend or when DPU is not working? 

• When downtown patrol is not working, the police are still assigned to the area. Continue to call in problems you see, they will still get dealt with.  All calls received are triaged and dealt with in order based on priority.
• When they received additional support for their team, they carefully reviewed the statistics for the calls for service in the downtown area and determined the most needed times, it was Monday to Friday 7am – 7pm.

Do you adjust your schedule when there are events downtown, such as Midnight Madness?

• Sometimes, when it is a priority, but they have to be aware that when they adjust, they are pulling resources from elsewhere.
• Typically when downtown is busy, there are minimal issues.  The homeless do not like to be “on display” so they often find other areas to hang out to avoid public.

What is in place if issues begin to spread farther out than just downtown or the areas that you currently patrol?

• They have seen issues spread outward because people are displaced and know that downtown is well policed. Continue to call the non emergency number because they cannot help with what they are unaware of. If it is a long, sustained issue supported by statistics, the police service may consider directing resources to the area as a “hot spot” to deal with the issues/concerns.

What does a person overdosing look like?

• Different depending on the drug they are using.
• Fentanyl is a depressant. A person may appear sleepy or pass out. If they have not moved and do not appear to be breathing, Call 9-1-1 immediately.
• Meth: A person may appear agitated, run around, seem jittery, or be unable to stand still.

Naloxone training is available through Safelink.

A Note from Inspector Graham:

This is a very important part of what they do. They have done a great deal with respect to overtime shifts and being part of the solution. While they do not have all the answers, this service is vital and of great importance. They are dedicated to all of the businesses in Medicine Hat and Downtown.