Winnipeg police announce new focused initiative to stem violent crime in Osborne Village

The Winnipeg Police Service is cracking down on violent crime in Osborne Village, announcing a new focused initiative on Thursday in response to ongoing concerns from residents and business owners.

“Because of the rise in crime, we just have to pay more attention right now to get a better handle on what’s going on,” said WPS Insp. Max Waddell.

“The numbers that will be deployed in Osborne Village will come from our existing compliment, primarily from west district. So we have not only uniform officers, but our community support unit officers, it will come from that group of officers that will be paying more attention.”

The WPS says it’s made strides in reducing the number of violent crimes since a historic 2023 that saw 392 reported in Osborne Village. But a noticeable increase in assaults is a driving force behind the new initiative.

“We, as a community and police, have successfully achieved a 12 per cent reduction in violent crime in 2024, and it is appearing in 2025 we’re going to be reaching the same numbers,” Waddell said. “I do note that however, assaults in this area are up 44 per cent this year. That’s the reason you see our presence here today.”

RELATED: Winnipeg woman traumatized after random stabbing in Osborne Village

Business owner Mridul Vohra tells CityNews while he appreciates the work police officers do, he questions how effective this initiative will be without stricter provincial bail laws in place.

“I can say roughly 20 times I’ve gotten assaulted by myself, not including my employees or anyone else,” said Vohra, the owner of Freshslice Pizza.

“One guy literally pulled a gun on me, I don’t know if it was real or fake, a few months back, and I think that person is also out again, and any other person (who assaulted my employees or myself) are out already.”

A statement to CityNews from Justice Minister Matt Wiebe regarding bail reform reads in part: “We implemented a five-point bail plan endorsed by the National Police Federation and have called on the federal government to do their part to strengthen bail conditions.

“We’ve acted on bail reform, brought back the electronic monitoring program cut by the previous government and expanded it, all while investing record amounts in law enforcement to help crack down on repeat offenders.”

The WPS initiative will run seven days a week until November, and then be reassessed.

“We’ve let all the Crown attorneys in Manitoba know about this initiative, and we wish for their consideration and cooperation in holding those individuals accountable to prevent the recurrence of these offences,” Insp. Waddell said.