Working the Beat

Drawing on street interviews and observations, this book reports with text, photographs and conversation, how the Edmonton Police Service introduced community policing in 21 high-incident areas of the city. The 21 constables were given office space in their communities and walked the beat, every shift. In this way they became part of their communities and learned to solve problems before they happened. They partnered with volunteer neighborhood advisory committees, and were an active, visible, daily presence, gearing their activities to the needs of the neighborhood. The first of its kind in Canada, the Edmonton Neighborhood Foot Patrol was an experiment that was designed to get constables out of their vehicles, build relationships in the community and engage the whole neighborhood in keeping it safe.