Hamilton police say they've started a new "core patrol" in downtown following an uptick in reported crime and complaints from some businesses and residents about feeling unsafe.

Superintendent David Hennick, who oversees the city's downtown patrol division, said in an interview that two officers are patrolling the area from Wellington to Bay and Hunter to Cannon Streets, primarily on foot, on weekdays. Their job, which began last week, is to regularly check in with businesses, which can also call the officers directly if there's a problem.

"We've heard loud and clear, people want our presence in the core, and our presence makes people feel comfortable," Hennick said.

He said police have tracked steady increases in reports of violent and property crimes in the area. For example, the number of these incidents rose from a monthly average, calculated over five years, of over 300 in September to 400 in May.

Reports of trespassing and suspicious activities also increased along with what he called "aggressive panhandling."

"I don't know why all calls are up, but we have seen an increase in individuals experiencing homelessness and encampments throughout the downtown core," Hennick said. "Our analysis of areas around encampments is that crime increases."

Denninger's Foods CEO Mary Aduckiewicz told CBC Hamilton she's "absolutely delighted" about the core patrol. The grocery store had requested downtown beat cops at the police service board this spring.

Staff and customers feel unsafe from increased shoplifting, abusive language and aggressive and intimidating behaviour, Aduckiewicz said. She made the request with some "trepidation" not wanting to criminalize homelessness and mental health challenges.

"We want to have compassion but at the same time there's folks who are very aggressive," she said. "Unfortunately it's an issue we can't ignore. It was impacting our business."

However, increasing police presence does put Black, racialized and unhoused people at a greater risk of harm, said Koubra Haggar, program manager at the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion.

"It's very unfortunate and disappointing that despite community members' demands for less surveillance and policing, policymakers think policing is a better option than providing vulnerable people with safe spaces to go to," Haggar said.

She pointed to a recent Hamilton police report that found Black people are more likely to experience use of force by officers than other populations. Black people were on the receiving end of 17.2 per cent of all use of force incidents in 2022 despite representing only five per cent of Hamilton's population.

"Having more frequent police presence puts people minding their own business in greater harm's way because they are perceived as inherently threatening because of race or poverty," Haggar said.

Hennick said Hamilton police officers are capable of both enforcing the rules and showing compassion.

"I believe our organization has demonstrated we have extremely engaged, compassionate members who know how to strike that balance of interacting with vulnerable members and treating them with compassion," Hennick said.

"But part of our job is to maintain public safety and prevent crime."