Winnipeg police launch daily foot patrols in Osborne Village to curb violent crime
Uniformed and plainclothes officers will be patrolling area from 8 a.m. to about 2 a.m.
Winnipeg police say they are increasing patrols and safety checks in Osborne Village due to continued high rates of violence against residents and business owners, as part of an initiative to tackle street crime in the neighbourhood.
In a news conference Thursday, Insp. Max Waddell said police are stepping up their presence in priority zones with uniformed and plainclothes officers to detect, deter and respond to crime.
They will also be conducting checks to ensure offenders released on bail are following their conditions, he said, noting one in five violent crimes in the city is committed by someone breaching their release conditions.
According to police data, in 2023, there were 392 violent crimes reported in the Osborne Village area — a 59 per cent increase over 2022. After this record spike, Waddell said the rate of violent crime in the area fell slightly last year.
"We as a community and police have successfully achieved a 12 per cent reduction in violent crime in 2024, and it is appearing that in 2025 we're going to be reaching the same numbers. I do note that, however, assaults in this area are up 44 per cent this year," he said.
Waddell said officers will be patrolling in Osborne Village from 8 a.m. to about 2 a.m., seven days a week. They'll also be engaging with residents and business owners, and listening to concerns and working side-by-side with stakeholder groups to foster meaningful and lasting change.
"There's probably 30 to 40 officers right here today, from walking the beat, to doing curfew checks, to doing warrant inquiries, to doing traffic enforcement — it's the whole gamut to just kick-start off this initiative," he said.
Waddell said "recent acts of violence have included stabbings, assaults, thefts and bear spray incidents."
"All these have no place in our society. Our objective here is simple and straightforward, and will include intelligence-led and zero-tolerance approach to any street crime," he said.
In Osborne Village, several residents and businesses have expressed concern. That includes Mridul Vohra, the owner of Freshslice Pizza, who showed CBC News some clips from his security camera where a man was vandalizing his restaurant last month.
Vohra said this was just one of 20 violent incidents since he opened a year ago. He said he has been experiencing assaults, threats, racial comments and swear words regularly.
"Trying to push me, spitting, trying to grab our stuff," he said. "There was a lady a month ago who tried to break some stuff here, grab a chair and throw it on the floor, try to destroy my fire alarm, trying to grab the fire extinguisher, [trying] to break stuff."
He said there has been a lot of damage to his property, including graffiti and a broken front door. Someone also scratched the washroom mirror with a sharp object and his fire extinguisher was pulled out on one occasion, Vohra said.
He said most of his employees have quit because of attacks and safety concerns, and all the vandalism is costing him money for repairs.
"It's very stressful, so that [is] why so many businesses are closing in the Village," Vohra said.
He said the police patrolling might be helpful for his business, but is still skeptical about what will happen when they are off-duty at night.
"We need some kind of arrangement, not for me but for the whole Village, that if someone actually needs police we expect them to show on time, anytime," he said.
Vohra said Osborne is a great spot for running a business, but his expectations changed since he opened.
The patrolling will happen until fall and then it will be reassessed, police said. Vohra said he is hoping it will continue all year, not just in summer.
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