Various agencies in Medicine Hat are coming together under a new PEACE taskforce that will take a unified approach to encampments in Medicine Hat in 2024. (CHAT News)

By Eli J. Ridder | @EliRidder

Medicine Hat police reveals unified approach to homeless encampments in 2024

Mar 21, 2024 | 1:01 AM

The Medicine Hat Police Service will take a new approach in responding to homeless encampments this summer by working in a unified taskforce with the fire department, Alberta Health Services and other local agencies.

Sgt. Brent Secondiak speaks to CHAT News. (Kevin Kyle/CHAT News)

Police Chief Alan Murphy speaks to CHAT News. (Kevin Kyle/CHAT News)

The Proactive Engagement and Community Enhancement Team — known simply as PEACE — was revealed during a public police commission meeting Wednesday.

The PEACE initiative is a pilot project that aims to take a holistic approach to the encampments that will pop up as the weather gets warmer, Insp. Brent Secondiak said

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“It’ll be through trial and error,” Secondiak told CHAT News.

“We’re not sure if it’s going to be successful the first time we’ve done it here, but we have a bunch of metrics that we’re recording to see how many camps we go to, how many people are housed [and] how many people get resources after that,” he said.

Police Chief Alan Murphy emphasized the PEACE project will not taxpayers anything extra.

“The cost is no different because we’re all doing that work anyway, it’s just a different approach for the same cost,” Murphy said.

The full police commission meeting can be viewed on the Medicine Hat Police Service YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDLyApt9ts0