Police officers deployed as part of an anti-theft initiative will continue patrolling three crime hot spots in Winnipeg until the end of October after the province extended its funding for the program, Premier Wab Kinew said Thursday.
Manitoba is allocating $774,000 to extend the program through September and October, covering overtime for Winnipeg police officers patrolling Osborne Village, the Exchange District and the West End, areas identified as retail theft hot spots.
"It's been outpouring from business owners who have said that having the visible presence of the WPS, having the quick response, having people walking through the neighbourhood is really making a difference," Kinew said at an announcement Thursday afternoon.
Matt Wiebe, Manitoba's attorney general, said the additional funding will extend the program's lifespan while the province works with Winnipeg police to develop a long-term, sustainable solution to address violence and retail crime.
Winnipeg police Supt. Dave Dalal said internal discussions are ongoing to ensure officers can provide a "consistent level of service" after the temporary project comes to an end.
"Overall crime rate has gone down in these three areas of focus — significantly," he said, but he didn't provide an update on the number of arrests police have made through the program since early July.
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