![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/082026-cps-bust-300x662.jpg\")
Eighteen people were arrested in an operation that forms part of a wider Safer Calgary effort to curb crime and disorder in the downtown core.–PHOTO COURTESY CPSbwagner@medicinehatnews.com<\/a>\nCalgary police and Alberta Sheriffs arrested 18 people and cleared 91 outstanding warrants during a two-day operation in downtown Calgary earlier this month.<\/p>\n
On Aug.5 and 6 the Calgary Police Service teamed up with the Alberta Sheriffs Fugitive Apprehension Sheriffs Support Team, known as FASST, to track down people wanted on criminal and non-criminal warrants downtown and in the surrounding area.<\/p>\n
Of the 91 warrants, 77 were criminal and 25 of those were tied to violent offences, police say. The other 14 were non-criminal warrants. Officers also collected more than $3,000 in unpaid fines.<\/p>\n
The list of offences behind the warrants include assault of a peace officer, resisting arrest, possession of a dangerous weapon, assault with a weapon, unsafe storage of a firearm, breach of probation, failure to attend court and failure to comply with release orders.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis operation demonstrates the value of proactive enforcement and strong partnerships,\u201d said Sgt. Chelsea Karpenko of the Calgary Police Service. She said investigators from both agencies are still using information gathered during the operation to find more wanted individuals.<\/p>\n
\u201cHolding offenders accountable and ensuring they answer to outstanding warrants remains an important part of maintaining safe communities,\u201d Karpenko said.<\/p>\n
Insp. Darren Thompson of the Alberta Sheriffs FASST said the operation shows the strength of law enforcement partnerships in the province.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy working closely with the Calgary Police Service and other enforcement partners, we can combine intelligence and resources to locate wanted individuals, hold offenders accountable and enhance public safety,\u201d he said<\/p>\n
The sweep is part of the broader Safer Calgary initiative, police say. The program brings together police, city enforcement teams and community groups, and it has widened its focus on the downtown core and transit routes.<\/p>\n
Under Safer Calgary, the Calgary Police Service works with Calgary Community Standards, Calgary Transit Public Safety and the Alberta Sheriffs. The approach mixes patrols and enforcement with outreach, officers also refer vulnerable people to support services.<\/p>\n
Police say the push responds to rising crime and disorder in the downtown centre. CPS says violence downtown is at a six-year high, about 20 per cent above the five-year average. It says unwanted guests, disturbances, indecent acts and drug calls made up roughly 75 per cent of disorder calls in the city centre in 2025.<\/p>\n
FASST is a provincial team that supports police across Alberta, including in the south. In Lethbridge, police and FASST cleared more than 60 warrants during a two-week sweep in September 2025, and Lethbridge police executed more than 100 warrants in a separate effort this past July.<\/p>\n
Medicine Hat is facing its own downtown pressures. The Medicine Hat Police Commission\u2019s 2025 annual report said officers answered 35,541 calls for service last year, up from 33,006 the year before. There were also additional patrols added to the downtown area. The report put Medicine Hat\u2019s Crime Severity Index at 85 in 2024, the latest year reported by Statistics Canada, higher than Calgarys score of 63.
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