Concerns around homelessness rise as Calgary police discover weapons, stolen equipment at encampments
Officers found evidence of guns being fired at one of the sites
Over the past two weeks on two separate occasions, police discovered a number of weapons and stolen property at two separate encampments in the city's southeast.
Police announced Monday that handguns, replica firearms, knives, axes and ATVs worth more than $100,000 were recovered from homeless encampments located off 58 Avenue and Burbank Road S.E. — and another along the Bow River on the east side of the 5800 block of Deerfoot Trail S.E.
"It's important to note that encampment does not equate to criminal behaviour and so as we go in with the teams, it might just be unhoused individuals and and we'll address those situations on their own merits," said CPS superintendent Scott Boyd.
"What we're really talking about here today is the criminality that some are choosing to start and try and thrive in."
Police said officers located a beverage container hanging in the trees with holes consistent in size with rounds from a gun. Conversion tips were also found in the area, police told CBC News, and they believe that people in the camp were looking to convert the air soft guns into legitimate guns.
One of the encampments appeared to be a wire-stripping operation for the re-sale of stolen copper wire, police said.
The discovery of the weapons, however, is a reflection of larger problems that the city is dealing with when it comes to homelessness, housing and mental health and addictions problems, said Ward 9 Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra.
"We have an issue of criminality on the one hand, but we also have a mental health and addictions crisis and we have issues with poverty and we have issues with housing supply and they're combining into a wicked problem," he said.
"The long term fixes are to address housing and mental health and addictions. I think the shorter term fixes involve putting more legitimate uses into some of these unsurveyed areas."
"I think the police have to do their job, but we have to catch up with actual fixes as opposed to the prosecution of desperate people," Carra added.
Police have charged one person and taken them into custody in relation to the stolen property and the investigation is ongoing.
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With files from Karina Zapata