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Calgary police are hoping an increased downtown presence can help curb drug-related crime in the wake of a spike in calls for service.

But they say it will take a community approach to solve the problem of increased social disorder that followed the opening of the city’s only safe drug-consumption site at the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre last year.

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District 1 Insp. Rob Davidson said during Tuesday’s Calgary police commission meeting that officers from other districts have been redeployed to help deal with increased calls for service, social disorder, property-related crime and violence throughout the city centre.

“Our deployment strategy is not just Sheldon Chumir, but to really look at the entire downtown core and how we can increase public safety,” Davidson said, adding police are also focusing on the areas surrounding Olympic Plaza, Stephen Avenue and city hall.

He said an increased presence helped reduce social disorder in those areas by almost 50 per cent last year.