Hamilton Police announced last week that they have officially opened a new downtown substation inside Jackson Square.
The idea for a substation came out of Hamilton Police Service’s Downtown Safety Summit held on May 19, 2026.
The summit was planned soon after two incidents in Downtown Hamilton – a shooting homicide in broad daylight inside Jackson Square on April 24, 2026, and a shooting homicide inside a downtown CityHousing Hamilton building on April 30, 2026.
It should be noted that another shooting homicide took place outside Jackson Square in broad daylight on July 11, 2025.
In that incident, Belinda Sarkodie, a 26-year-old innocent bystander, was shot and killed and a man was injured.
Hamilton Police Chief Frank Bergen commented, “We heard clearly from businesses and residents that a stronger police presence downtown matters.”
“This substation puts our officers closer to the people we serve, increases visibility, and strengthens our work with partners to keep downtown Hamilton safe, welcoming and vibrant.”
The Jackson Square substation is over 3,500 square feet and will reportedly be staffed using current Hamilton Police resources.
A press release says that the substation will support the ongoing work of the police service’s CORE Patrol program and other members who are assigned to downtown safety initiatives.
The substation will be open from Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The City of Hamilton is leasing the space from Jackson Square for $1 per year.
A total of 52 organizations participated in the Hamilton Police Downtown Safety Summit, including the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, Denninger’s, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton Public Library, both school boards, the Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group, McMaster University, Salvation Army, RBC, Scotiabank, Sheraton Hamilton Hotel, St. Joseph’s Healthcare, TD Bank, and LIUNA.
Through discussions, participants identified that the top priority was to develop a plan to address social disorder and open public drug use.
A police report developed after the summit states that Hamilton’s downtown “accounts for a disproportionate share of both property and violent crime relative to its geographic size and residential population.”
In addition, Hamilton Police say that “social disorder events,” including disturbances, intoxicated persons, suspicious persons or circumstances, trespassing, unwanted guests, mischief, and similar public-space concerns, have also “remained consistently high” in Hamilton’s downtown.
The opening of the new Jackson Square substation is one of seven action steps that Hamilton Police are undertaking.
They will also be exploring the establishment of a dedicated drug prosecution office in Hamilton, convening a recurring quarterly meeting structure with the corporate security teams at the city’s downtown banks, communicating with downtown businesses to improve incident reporting, strengthening referral pathways for people who use drugs to receive help, sharpening operational focus on drug trafficking, and increasing Core Patrol visibility.
Hamilton Police say that improving public safety downtown is “not solely about reducing crime rates, it is also about improving people’s day-to-day experiences, increasing visibility, addressing social disorder, and strengthening confidence in public spaces.”
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
