A statistic cited by senior law enforcement officials and Calgary’s newly elected mayor indicates that a relatively small group of individuals is responsible for a significant proportion of crime.
Prior to a safety operation by Calgary police in the downtown area on Nov. 5, Supt. Scott Boyd noted that around 75 individuals represent a “high system user group” that disproportionately contributes to crime across Calgary on any given day.
During his campaign, Jeromy Farkas, then a candidate for mayor, mentioned a different figure, vowing to enhance community policing by targeting Calgary’s top 100 repeat violent offenders.
But who are these individuals?
“We coined the term high system user for those individuals who, statistically, have made hundreds of calls for service due to social disorder and crime-related activities,” explained Insp. Jason Bobrowich.
“There’s no specific profile for these individuals. It’s entirely based on the behavioral patterns we’ve identified … [we’ve] observed them continuously cycling through the criminal justice system.”
Regarding the types of crimes or disturbances these individuals engage in, Bobrowich indicated that it can include everything from public intoxication and drug use to theft or possession of stolen goods, and even more serious offenses like assault or assault with a weapon.
During the downtown operation, officers patrolled the streets, making arrests, issuing citations, and directing individuals in need towards supportive services.
Bobrowich noted that while officers were not specifically targeting habitual offenders, their patrols occurred in areas where such individuals might be found.
For instance, police reported receiving information about a robbery at a convenience store during the downtown operation. Officers apprehended a suspect identified as a high system user who was allegedly violating his bail terms.
Insp. Jason Bobrowich mentions that there is no single profile for the frequent reoffenders encountered by Calgary police. (David Mercer/CBC News)
Conventional Understanding
The idea that a small number of offenders commit many crimes is not a new concept, but rather a widely accepted notion in criminology, according to Doug King, a criminal justice professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary.
“These individuals not only repeat offenses, but they do so more frequently,” King stated.
“They may account for about 25 percent of all crimes while representing roughly 10 percent of the offender population.”
On the other hand, he noted that most individuals who commit crimes do not go on to reoffend.
King agrees with law enforcement that no singular profile can be ascribed to these offenders or their motivations.
“These individuals can come from vastly different backgrounds. Identifying a common cause for their criminal behavior would undermine the field of criminology,” King remarked.
He added that, in some instances, criminal behavior may begin in youth and persist into adulthood.
Reasons for Recidivism
Calgary Police Chief Katie McLellan emphasized that changes within the justice system are necessary to diminish the frequency of reoffending among the same individuals.
“When we present these high-risk repeat offenders before a justice of the peace, we must advocate for an alternative plan; they cannot keep being released and reoffending repeatedly,” McLellan stated in an interview with The Homestretch.
According to Bobrowich, Calgary police have a comprehensive tracking system in place. They will keep an eye on upcoming court dates, and designated officers will attend hearings to monitor when these individuals may return to the streets.
So, if police are aware of who these individuals are and have a sense of where they might be, shouldn’t it be simpler to prevent their reoffending?
It’s not that straightforward, explains King.
“To apprehend those 75 individuals, you need to gather evidence that they have actually committed the offenses. And that can be more challenging than it might seem,” King remarked.
In other words, familiarity with a suspect doesn’t guarantee sufficient evidence exists to support charges in court.
Calgary police officers participated in a downtown operation on Nov. 5. Insp. Jason Bobrowich mentioned that while officers were not specifically searching for chronic offenders, some patrols occurred in areas where they might be found. (Colleen Underwood/CBC News)
Further complications arise with bail procedures and crowded remand centers, which King notes can exacerbate the situation.
“It’s a systemic issue, and it’s unfair to blame one component for the overall problems,” King stated.
Arthur Green, a spokesperson for Alberta’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis, addressed the concerns regarding remand centers in a statement.
“Alberta Correctional Services oversees inmate populations with a focus on both immediate operations and long-term strategies. When there’s a sudden rise in one area, we coordinate across the province to ensure operations remain efficient.”
The statement also criticized the bail framework.
“For too long, the criminal justice system has struggled to adequately safeguard public safety due to Ottawa’s ineffective bail and parole regulations,” Green stated in the announcement.
“If Ottawa heeds Alberta’s recommendations, gathers meaningful data, and invests in judicial and prosecutorial resources, we stand a chance of making Canada safer once more.”
Recently, the federal government revealed plans to reform the bail system to make it more difficult for violent, repeat offenders to be released.
A government representative informed reporters during a briefing that the modifications would mandate that courts “not release an accused when it goes against public interest or when detention is necessary to safeguard victims or witnesses.”
Comprehensive Strategy
Bobrowich indicated that the proposed bail reforms appear to primarily focus on extremely dangerous offenders, which may not apply to the types of repeat offenders the Calgary police are addressing.
For these individuals, Bobrowich stated that police are adopting a more holistic strategy to provide them with support and facilitate their reintegration into society.
He mentioned that this approach is yielding positive results, with some individuals spending extended periods in the community without reoffending.
“We’ve achieved substantial success with several high system users by guiding them through treatment programs, ensuring positive court outcomes, and reconnecting them with family members who are willing to provide support,” Bobrowich noted.
Krysia Przepiorka, a criminal defense lawyer and chair of the Indigenous Justice Centre Society of Alberta, emphasized that the goal should be to eliminate obstacles—such as homelessness, mental health issues, and addiction—that contribute to the overrepresentation of vulnerable populations in the justice system.
She asserted that incarceration is not the solution.
“For certain individuals, jail does not resolve anything; it merely separates them from society without addressing the underlying issues that led them to the justice system,” Przepiorka stated.
“This is a much larger issue than any of our current systems have the capability to effectively address.”
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