Other candidates say there is more to crime reduction than just hiring police

Communities First mayoral candidate Sonya Sharp vowed Friday to recruit 500 new officers to Calgary’s police force, as part of her election campaign.

The promise, which didn’t include an estimated cost, was met with mixed reactions from rivals Jeromy Farkas, Brian Thiessen and Jyoti Gondek, with some candidates questioning whether adding a chosen number of officers will effectively address public safety concerns in the city.

Recommended Videos

Sharp said Friday that she wants a plan to recruit and train the new police officers submitted for review by council in the November budget deliberations, as well as the return of a 24/7 downtown police station.

“We’d like to see a plan for more enforcement in the down

See Full Page