Winnipeg police district stations closed during spike in violent crime set to reopen Monday

Winnipeg police district stations that were temporarily closed due to a spike in violence that strained police resources in November are set to reopen on Monday, according to police.

After a recent reassessment, three district stations — North, East and West — will open to the public for the first time in nearly three months, police said Friday.

At the time, the city was hit with a number of brazen liquor store thefts and violent street crimes. The number of homicides crept up to a record-setting 44 by the end of the year.

Eleven of those homicides happened in the span of 30 days last fall — two of the victims were children — leaving police straining to deal with it all.

District station offices were closed and services centralized to the downtown police headquarters building. Staffing levels were altered in major crimes, station duty, traffic and community relations units.

In total, 74 officers were assigned to general patrol and investigative units, Winnipeg police chief Danny Smyth said last fall.

Investigators were also pulled off Project Devote and the intelligence unit.

The headquarters station will be open to the public seven-days a week from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

North District, East District, and West District station duty offices will be open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., as of Monday, according to Winnipeg police.

When stations are closed, police are reminding the public to call 911 in the case of emergencies. Non-emergencies can be reported to 204-986-6222 or online.