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There’s no immediate plan to equip Edmonton city police officers with body cams, says police Chief Dale McFee, who is pushing to get cruisers equipped first in an attempt to reduce crime.

“Our biggest issues with our front lines is the frustration of going to the same call over and over and over and being bluntly honest, the cameras not going to solve that,” McFee said last week.

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The chief added that the evidence on body cams reducing crime “isn’t strong.”

“I think first and foremost, we’ve got to focus on the things that we can make the biggest impact on. If that eventually turns into body cameras down the road, maybe,” said McFee.

“For us, what’s more important right now is that we’re looking at our vehicles that are in those particular areas that are involved in more high-risk incidents and put cameras in the vehicle.”

Mental Health Act and addiction complaints disproportionately affect crime rates in the city, noted the chief.