Increased police presence will be seen in Ice District during Oilers playoffs
Edmonton police will join Oilers fans around Rogers Place and the Ice District as the team embarks on its playoff run.
"Our whole plan is to create a safe and fun event for all of the Oilers fans and the citizens of Edmonton," said EPS Staff Sgt. Jay Reinelt.
He said the playoff policing plan will be similar to last year.
"We made some small adjustments along the way to improve things as we went and we'll do the same thing this year if need be."
"You'll be able to expect increased uniform presence during games," Staff Sgt. Reinelt said.
He said how many extra officers will vary from game to game, round to round.
"Game 1, Round 1 is probably our lowest level of resources."
"It's mostly on-duty personnel from other units and areas that are re-deployed to the area. But as the fan base increases in the area and the fan participation increases then so does our police presence," he said.
While the focus will be around the arena, Staff Sgt. Reinelt said they'll also be keeping an eye on Whyte Avenue.
"Just because of its history but in the last few years there haven't been any issues there so it's just been our regular beat officers patrolling that area," he said.
Police also remind people that downtown, near the arena, can be busy even during away games.
"Expect some traffic congestion pre and post game," he said.
"Last year one of our games, even though it was an away game, we had almost 30,000 fans in the area so you can probably expect very similar things this year," he added.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Princess Anne to take part in B.C. ceremony bringing new ship into Pacific fleet
Canada's first Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel will officially be brought into the Pacific fleet today and Princess Anne, the sister of King Charles, is scheduled to take part in its commissioning ceremony.
NEW Biscuits with possible plastic pieces, metal found in ground pork: Here are the recalls for this week
Here are the latest recalls Canadians should watch out for, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
More than half of Canadians say freedom of speech is under threat, new poll suggests
A new poll suggests a majority of Canadians feel their right to freedom of speech is in danger.
How falling for a stranger she met on a beach led this woman to ditch the U.S. for the French Riviera
Niki Benjamin, from the U.S., had travelled to a paradise island to do some soul searching, and her life ended up going in a very different direction when her dog ran up to a stranger.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Feds giving Toronto more than $104M to host 2026 FIFA World Cup
The federal government will provide Toronto just over $104 million in funding to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Police move in to clear NYU encampment, U.S. campus arrests grow to 2,200 in pro-Palestinian protests
Police moved in to clear an encampment at New York University on Friday at the request of school officials, a move that follows weeks of pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses nationwide that have resulted in nearly 2,200 arrests by police.
Wally, the emotional support alligator once denied entry to a baseball game, is missing
Emotional support animal registrations in the United States reached 115,832 last year, by an industry group’s count. But in the eyes of reptile rescuer Joie Henney, there’s only one: 'Wally Gator.'
Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.