Calgary Property Crime: Mayor Warns of Escalating Threats

CALGARY, AB — Mayor Jeromy Farkas amplified warnings today about a spike in property crime hitting southwest Calgary communities west of Sarcee Trail, retweeting alerts from Ward 6 Councillor John Pantazopoulos about suspicious persons, car prowling, and residential break-ins.

The January 20th social media blast marks the latest pressure point in a city grappling with a 6% jump in serious crime during 2025—and a staffing crisis at the Calgary Police Service that Chief Katie McLellan says has officers stuck in "reactive" mode.

The Strain

McLellan didn't mince words earlier this month: the CPS is in "dire straits." Front-line officers are stretched thin, responding to calls rather than patrolling proactively. Translation? The old neighbourhood cop who knew your block by name is now chasing radio traffic across three quadrants.

Calgary Police Commission Chair Amtul Siddiqui hammered the point home months ago: recruitment hasn't kept pace with population growth. The result is visible in places like southwest Calgary, where residents are now getting official warnings about locked doors and secure vehicles—advice that shouldn't feel radical in 2026.

The Money

The CPS net operating budget climbed to $613 million for 2026, a 13% spike from last year's $541 million. Council approved 21 new officers for this year, but McLellan is already flagging plans to request up to 660 more for 2027-2030. That's not a want—it's a gap analysis.

Meanwhile, the City is covering a $28 million shortfall after the provincial government axed photo radar on highways. Former Chief Mark Neufeld warned in January 2025 that the move would "set back the Calgary Police Service a decade in terms of deployment." Twelve months later, his math is checking out.

The Pattern

Southwest Calgary isn't an outlier. In late 2025, CPS ran "proactive" patrols in the southeast after theft reports, seizing roughly $15,000 in stolen property by January. That same month, officers laid 37 charges against six people in a stolen property ring operating out of the 200 block of Woodridge Drive S.W.—an investigation that started back in October 2025.

Downtown saw a 20% spike in serious crime last year. Northeast Calgary has been rattled by 13 extortion crimes and 11 shootings since July, primarily targeting the South Asian community. The friction is city-wide; the resources are not.

The Fix

Farkas rode a safety-first platform into office last October, narrowly defeating Sonya Sharp. Now he's sharing Pantazopoulos's community warnings on social media—a low-cost signal that City Hall is listening, even if the cavalry isn't yet deployed.

McLellan flagged downtown safety as a 2026 priority in December. Whether that focus shifts to include property crime hot zones in the southwest depends on staffing allocations that won't arrive until the next budget cycle at the earliest. For now, residents west of Sarcee Trail are being told to lock up and stay alert—the only tools available when the response model is stuck in triage.