When you’re deciding on a safe public location to meet up with that internet stranger whose gently-used air fryer you bought on Kijiji, your first thought probably isn’t a police station.
However, that’s exactly what Telus and the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) are encouraging people to do, with the launch of three new “Buy and Sell Exchange Zones” for online classifieds meet-ups in Alberta’s capital city.
Each “zone” consists of a pair of stalls, equipped with 24/7 surveillance cameras, set-up in the parking lots of four police stations across Edmonton in total.
The concept isn’t a new one, with similar zones set up across Canada in cities including Calgary, Halton, Peel, Saskatoon, Waterloo, and Winnipeg.
The unique bit, according to the press release, is that all the technology in the zones is provided by Telus, presumably from the telecom company’s line of smart home security cameras.
While the cameras are always running, the EPS said there’s no one specifically tasked with monitoring the feed.
However, the police said they will access the footage if there’s an incident or investigation related to an exchange — so keep that in mind if you decide to use a zone.
In 2020, the EPS reportedly made “20 arrests, laid 59 charges, and recovered $44,000 worth of stolen property through online buy and sell sites,” in addition to receiving “276 reports of buy and sell scams with a total financial loss of $35,680.”
Edmonton’s four “Buy and Sell Exchange Zones” are located at the following EPS stations:
14203 50 Street Northwest
104 Youville Drive East Northwest
1351 Windermere Way
16505 100 Avenue Northwest
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
Source: Telus
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