Courtesy Medicine Hat Police Service

By Eli J. Ridder

Medicine Hat ‘problem property’ closed up by police after reports of drug activity

May 23, 2024 | 12:40 PM

A safe communities police unit on Wednesday closed up a “problem property” in the Riverside neighbourhood of Medicine Hat where official said complaints of drug activity and violence prompted frequent police visits.

The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods unit of the Alberta Sheriffs — known as SCAN — obtained a court order against the owner of 377 4 Street NW that gives investigators the authority to close the property for 90 days, starting at noon.

The SCAN unit received four complaints regarding the property since August 2021.

Between Jan. 1, 2021, and Sept. 6, 2023, the Medicine Hat Police Service attended the property 49 times for various types of calls for service.

The community safety order, obtained in Court of King’s Bench, bars people from the property until the closure period ends on Aug. 20, police said in a news release.

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The property will be boarded up, fenced and all the locks will be changed. SCAN unit members will continue to monitor the property for any activity while their investigation remains ongoing.

“Drug dealers are not welcome in this province,” said Alberta public safety and emergency services minister Mike Ellis.

“The southern Alberta SCAN team is providing residents with the peace of mind they deserve and I commend them for their hard work to make Alberta a safer place.”

Medicine Hat police chief Alan Murphy acknowledged the work by the SCAN unit.

“The Medicine Hat Police Service appreciates the invaluable assistance of the southern Alberta SCAN unit in addressing the persistent concerns surrounding this problem property,” Murphy said.

“Together, we have taken significant action towards fostering a safer community.”

Since its inception in 2008, Alberta’s SCAN unit has investigated more than 9,000 properties and issued about 117 community safety orders. Most complaints are resolved by working with owners to stop the illegal activity on their property.

The police lockdown in southern Alberta SCAN unit was announced on Nov. 15, 2023, with a new team of six investigators from the Alberta Sheriffs based in Lethbridge.

This supports quicker responses and resolutions to complaints throughout southern Alberta, including Medicine Hat