There were some big wins for the Calgary Police Service in 2024.
In a year-end interview with Global News, Chief Mark Neufeld said efforts around gun violence are paying off and top the win column for CPS. The number of shootings in Calgary this year is down about a third from the year before. Up to Dec. 12, there were 69 shootings this year. In 2023, the city was up to 95 in the same time frame. It was even higher in 2022 at 127 shootings.
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When it comes to the biggest loss for the police department in 2024, changes to photo radar top the list for Calgary’s top cop. Neufeld said six in 10 speeding tickets issued in 2024 were done through automation. When provincial changes come into effect on April 1, 2025, there will be no more photo radar ticketing on provincial highways or at speed-on-green cameras. Neufeld said CPS will not only lose revenue from the move, but also resources, as the police force will have to divert more officers to traffic management.
When looking ahead to 2025, Neufeld said a focus on border control — as brought up by both U.S. president-elect Donald Trump and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith — will be a good thing. He said border integrity between Canada and the United States is something Calgarians should be concerned about as a lot of drugs and firearms are smuggled both ways across the border.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
