A shared commitment to improve safety and well-being in the downtown core

The Greater Sudbury Police Service recognizes the concerns raised by community members regarding open drug use, property crime, violent crime, and social disorder in our downtown core. We understand that community members, business owners, employees, and visitors want to feel safe in our community and expect visible action to address behaviours that impact public spaces.

Our officers remain actively engaged on a daily basis in the downtown core and continue to focus on both public safety and community well-being. Between January 1 and July 25, officers conducted 1,942 focused foot and bike patrols in the downtown core, representing a 106% increase compared to the same period in 2025. These proactive patrols provide opportunities to engage with residents and businesses, address community concerns, identify criminal activity, and connect vulnerable individuals with available supports.

In addition to these patrol efforts, officers continue to take proactive enforcement action through initiatives such as the Bail Compliance and Warrants Apprehension Program (BCWAP). Since January 1, 2026, officers have made 556 arrests in the downtown core. Of those arrests, 138 were made by members of the Community Response Unit (CRU) who located and arrested individuals with outstanding warrants through BCWAP. It is important to note that these arrests do not necessarily indicate that the associated offences occurred in the downtown core. Rather, they reflect proactive enforcement efforts that identified and apprehended wanted individuals located downtown.

We acknowledge that many members of our community do not yet feel the improvements reflected in the data and continue to have legitimate concerns about safety, disorder, and quality of life in the downtown core. Those concerns are important and help inform our ongoing enforcement and community policing efforts. While these challenges remain, the following suggest that the combined work of police, community partners, service providers, businesses, and residents is having a measurable impact. Compared to the same period in 2025:

• Overall calls for service in the downtown core have decreased by 4%
• Social disorder calls have decreased by 20%
• Open drug use calls have decreased by 39%
• Homelessness calls have decreased by 35%
• Violent crime-related calls have decreased by 12%
• Weapons-related calls have decreased by 4%
• Suspicious persons calls have decreased by 30%

At the same time, officers continue to respond to the significant impacts of addiction, mental health crises, and homelessness. Calls related to mental health and well-being have increased by 16%, while requests for ambulance assistance have increased by 31%. These increases highlight the growing demand for crisis intervention and support services and reinforce the need for a collaborative community response.

Property crime remains an area of concern, with a 44% increase in property crime-related calls for service compared to the same period last year. More than half of these calls are related to shoplifting incidents. Officers continue to work closely with businesses, loss prevention personnel, and community partners to address these offences while supporting initiatives aimed at reducing repeat behaviours and connecting individuals to appropriate resources.

We remain committed to maintaining a visible presence in the downtown core, addressing criminal activity, responding to community concerns, and working with the Downtown BIA, the City of Greater Sudbury, Go Give and our community partners to build a safer and healthier downtown. 

The Greater Sudbury Police Service will continue to balance enforcement with compassion, ensuring that public safety remains a priority while recognizing that many of the issues affecting our downtown are rooted in broader health and social challenges that require community-wide solutions.