Town is making an attempt to draw riders again to the system by growing frequency on main routes and hiring extra transit operators
![Will Fossen, deputy chief of public transportation safety, emergency management and community safety, center, and Aaron Coon, chief of public vehicle standards, present badges and certificates to 13 new transit peace officers at a graduation ceremony at Mewata Armory on Friday.](https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/calgaryherald/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/0224-peace-officers-graduation-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&h=216)
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Calgary celebrated the commencement of 13 new transit peace officers on Friday afternoon.
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The brand new officers, who’re a part of the town’s bigger recruitment technique for public transport by way of public security, had been acknowledged at a ceremony on the Mewata Armory.
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A metropolis spokesman mentioned greater than 900 folks utilized to grow to be transit peace officers in response to the town’s most up-to-date job posting.
A complete of 28 new officers had been employed, representing a 25 % growth of officers engaged on transit.
Transit has seen a rise in complaints about dysfunction, significantly on CTrain, because the begin of the pandemic. Town can be making an attempt to draw riders again to the system with a plan to extend frequency on main routes and a hiring of recent transit operators.
Ward 7 gr. Terry Wong mentioned when the council requested for extra transit peace and safety officers final spring, it was to make sure that all of the strains may very well be secure for purchasers.
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“With constituents that we hear within the metropolis middle and the constituents that I’ve throughout the river on the northwest line, they’re all asking: ‘When are we going to have the ability to present help to the people who find themselves in susceptible conditions, in addition to shield our property house owners?’ ” mentioned Wong. “It is undoubtedly time. It could actually’t occur quick sufficient.”
![Transit peace officers graduate during a ceremony at Mewata Armory on Friday.](https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/calgaryherald/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/0224-peace-officers-graduation.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288)
Ward 8 gr. Courtney Walcott mentioned hiring extra peace officers is essential, however it’s not an answer to the issues folks face downtown.
“It is an essential step in making folks really feel secure so we are able to actually simply begin having conversations about what public security is, what it means to be a great neighbor, and what it means to construct neighborhood in these areas ,” Walcott mentioned. .
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He mentioned he didn’t wish to lose sight of the bigger dialog about points reminiscent of housing, road activation, psychological well being help, poverty discount initiatives and hurt discount.
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“It is a step in the fitting (route) on a journey, sure, however now we have to verify we take each a kind of different steps as nicely.”
Along with new peace officers, 14 new company safety officers will start work on Monday. Town hopes to have 31 company safety officers supporting transit security as soon as the hiring is full.
brthomas@postmedia.com
Twitter: @brodie_thomas
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