Our downtown is a diverse community of people joined in the common interest of bettering the downtown for everyone. The Downtown Community Safety Partnership (DCSP) is proactively working to better link this diverse community and grow partnerships and community service to create a healthy, safe, and connected downtown Winnipeg community. With a 24/7 presence downtown, DCSP teams provide non-emergency response, outreach and intervention to those experiencing complex issues in Winnipeg’s downtown, and are working to integrate safety services and initiatives and to share skills, experience and technology to benefit all members and visitors of the downtown community.
When to call the DCSP
The DCSP has three frontline teams that provide a welcoming and friendly downtown presence while also serving the complex needs of the downtown community 24/7. Calls to the DCSP will be forwarded for the appropriate response by the CONNECT, MAC247 (Mobile Assist and Connection), and COAR (Community Outreach Advocacy Resource) teams. DCSP services and responses include the provision of information, assistance and referrals, social needs assessments, advanced first aid, outreach, and safe/courtesy walks.
The DCSP can assist with non-emergency, non-violent community safety and wellness concerns, that may include individuals that pose a risk to themselves through non-threatening and non-escalating behaviours, including:
Health and Wellness needs:
– Unsheltered – person(s) requiring connections to shelter, food, resources
– Safety/wellness checks
– Courtesy/safety walks
Non-emergency situations of:
– Distress (person that may be lost, confused, in need of assistance)
If you are aware of a non-violent situation that requires DCSP support, please dial 211 to connect with a DCSP team or community/social resource to help you.
If you would like general information, please call the DCSP at 204-947-DCSP (3277).
Please call 9-1-1 for emergency situations.
Emergencies are defined as*:
Call 9-1-1 for in progress or immediate threats to life or property. This may include situations such as:
– A serious crime in progress or which just occurred (e.g. break and enter, robbery, assault, gunshots, etc.)
– A medical emergency (e.g. heart attack, trouble breathing, etc.)
– A situation where people or property are in danger (e.g. a fire, carbon monoxide detector is sounding, children on ice)
– A motor vehicle collision involving serious injuries.
*When to call 9-1-1 as per the City of Winnipeg
Reporting Non-Emergencies
If you are reporting something that does NOT meet the definition of an emergency (listed above), dial the Police Non-Emergency telephone number, 204-986-6222. This can include circumstances you perceive as suspicious or crimes that have occurred where the offender has left and is not returning.
DCSP Partnerships
A partnership with the Winnipeg Police Service and Fire Paramedic Service enables the DCSP and its teams to work closely with the city’s emergency services teams to alleviate some of the current demands on 911 and police, fire and paramedic services. Careful assessment and management of calls to deliver services more suited to the nature of the situation is key to the DCSP’s ability to effect long-term change for individuals and the entire downtown community.
The DCSP has partnered with 211 Manitoba which is a free, confidential, 24/7 service that connects individuals to government, health and social services. The service helps Manitobans who are looking to find the right community or social resource but don’t know where to start. 211 Manitoba also makes it easy for service providers and first responders to direct others to the right resource. Manitobans can now call 2-1-1 to talk with trained professionals to help find and navigate the services they need or search the 211 Manitoba website mb.211.ca.
Providing services that lead to long-term solutions
The DCSP offers a made-in-Winnipeg approach to the complex issues in the city’s downtown. Along with operating under the values of respect, trust, relationships, kindness, inclusion, empathy, and diversity, the organization is built on the pillars of providing 24/7 proactive presence and outreach, creating partnerships and collaboration, and delivering long-term solutions. Through its three community presence teams – CONNECT, MAC247 and COAR – and in collaborating and innovating with community partners, the DCSP seeks to make lasting impacts on both individuals and the downtown area, while also alleviating strain on first responder teams in the process.
Formally established in April 2020, the DCSP is working to establish the grassroots of its organization and continues to mobilize its teams and operations and actively build and enhance partnerships that will further the goal of creating a healthy, safe and connected downtown community.
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that as Canadians we live and prosper on the lands that were respected and cared for through the stewardship of the Indigenous Peoples from time immemorial. In this territory, we acknowledge the Ojibway, Cree, Dakota and Red River Métis.
Recognizing these truths, the DCSP works and walks territorial lands, acknowledging footprints to reflect on the mistakes and harms of the past, and future steps forward in reconciliation and mutually respectful relationships within our community.