08/06/2026
Winnipeg Police Service 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑢𝑚𝑎, 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑠. 𝐵𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙-𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑟 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢.
𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐠
Following consultation with community stakeholders, the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) will restart enforcement and engagement efforts beginning Friday, August 7th, aimed at curbing open drug use and trafficking in areas where there have been ongoing concerns related to crime and social disorder.
Working alongside community and government partners, the WPS will engage with individuals, enforce applicable laws and bylaws, and help connect people to appropriate supports and resources.
As a direct result of conversations with community stakeholders, the WPS will utilize suggestions made to ensure a community-focused initiative:
𝗔𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵-𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵: The WPS will prioritize collaboration with community organizations. Outreach workers may attend alongside officers, lead initial engagement efforts, or provide follow-up support to help connect individuals with appropriate services.
𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: A dedicated Community Coordinator from Ka Ni Kanichik has been identified as the primary liaison between the WPS and community organizations, helping ensure concerns, information, and supports are shared effectively.
𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Community and policing partners will work together through a coordinated response to better address community concerns and connect people with appropriate supports.
10-Day initiative results:
In the four weeks preceding the launch of the initiative, hotspots identified within the project boundaries experienced four consecutive weeks of increasing crime. Between June 24 - July 3, the WPS increased presence in these neighbourhoods affected by open drug use and social disorder.
During this 10-day period, the WPS engaged in the following activities:
**Total Events (Officer Generated and related Calls for Service) – 1,099
**Total Arrests – 106
93 Warrants and/or Breaches
3 Possession of a Scheduled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking
5 Possession of a Scheduled Substance
**Total number of persons transported to Protective Care Centre – 7
During this 10-day period, the WPS observed the following impacts:
**Property crime incidents decreased 10.5% compared to the same period in 2025
**Violent crime incidents decreased 16.5% compared to the same period in 2025
**Emergency calls for service (Priority 0-2) decreased 6% compared to the same period in 2025
This initiative will continue to identify specific geographic areas in and around downtown Winnipeg. These locations have been selected based on a combination of WPS crime data, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service data, and public tips and concern. Residents can expect to see a visible police presence in these areas meant to deter and suppress open drug use, intercept trafficking networks, and promote community outreach.
This work relies on continued collaboration with community partners. The WPS thanks everyone who has been involved in consulting on this initiative to improve public safety for all Winnipeggers.
