1 week Ago By By Connor McDowell Local Journalism Initiative
Brandon police are looking to grow their footprint in the city’s downtown this summer, Chief Tyler Bates said Friday during his presentation to the Brandon Police Board. Read this article for free: Already have an account? As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support.
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Brandon police are looking to grow their footprint in the city’s downtown this summer, Chief Tyler Bates said Friday during his presentation to the Brandon Police Board. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Brandon police are looking to grow their footprint in the city’s downtown this summer, Chief Tyler Bates said Friday during his presentation to the Brandon Police Board. With public safety at the forefront, the Brandon Police Service is in the process of onboarding three people to the cadet program and is in the “infancy” of a downtown safety strategy, Bates said.
By the summer, police aim to be carrying out strategies gleaned from a consultation process this spring and utilizing extra cadets in the community. Also helping to increase the police footprint downtown is the addition of six new recruits to the BPS ranks, bringing vacancies down to about 10 per cent, Bates said. And BPS has seen a lot of interest in the cadet program, which patrols downtown, as police have had “a really good turnout in terms of cadet applications.
” BPS Chief Tyler Bates provided an update to the Brandon Police Board on Friday. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun files) Bates said the program has been helpful in the community and hopes it continues to grow. A large number of calls for police service come from a few blocks of the city, in the downtown core.
For 2024, BPS received 37,263 calls for service — approximately 11,809 from the downtown area. “We’ve kind of highlighted over the past year that roughly 30 per cent of our calls for service have been in the downtown,” said Bates. He said total calls for service across the city was higher than previous years.
Bates also said the police service has grown its the focus on downtown recently, which can be seen in statistics from last year showing police increased downtown patrol calls by 81 per cent and walk-through calls by 193 per cent. Speaking at Friday’s police board meeting, Mayor Jeff Fawcett said while that increased police presence might appear negative, it also has a positive aspect in that the community is connecting with police and building bridges. As part of updating its downtown safety strategy, BPS plans to meet with roughly 30 stakeholders to align efforts.
That consultation process should be wrapped up by the end of the month. Bates said one notable issue related to downtown is that many people have nowhere to go when they are released from Brandon Correctional Centre, and they move into a shelter downtown. Another problem is that people are released on bail with conditions that require them to live at a downtown social service hub, which he said is not a sustainable situation.
Though the issues are complex, he said, the cadet program, which was added in 2023, provides a visible security presence downtown to supplement regular police patrols. Bates added that the BPS hopes to expand the cadet program out to Brandon’s transit system as a way to provide a security presence there as well. Speaking on crime trends in Brandon, Bates said roughly 105,100 grams of methamphetamine were seized by police in 2024, an increase of 5,322 per cent from the year before.
BPS increased the number of charges for drug offences by 28 per cent, he said. “It’s not surprising that we’re seeing that spike as it relates to the drug trade.” For retail crime, he said a retail-crime initiative netted 70 arrests and $10,000 in property recovered last year, and he hopes that project gets extended funding.
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