Edmonton's police chief has launched a criminal investigation into allegations that homeless people were held against their will by police officers.

Three police officers allegedly rounded up nine homeless people in May of 2005, held them in a van for two hours, then dropped them off in the north end of the city.

The original complaint came from a homeowner upset that homeless people had been dropped off in her neighbourhood.

"It's only since that time that more and more information has come forward through various sources that bring these allegations to the forefront at this time," said Staff Sgt. Greg Alcorn on Tuesday.

"Now that we are fully aware of them, Chief [Mike] Boyd has asked that an internal affairs investigation happen."

No charges, no tickets: Criminal Trial Lawyers Association

Gwilym Davis, spokesman for Edmonton's Criminal Trial Lawyers Association, applauded Boyd's decision. The association had filed a formal complaint against Boyd, accusing him of failing to ensure that the initial complaint was properly investigated.

"The people who were being picked up asked why, and asked to be given tickets or some form of charge if they were going to be kept, and also asked for badge numbers of the officers involved. They weren't charged, they weren't ticketed, and apparently weren't given the badge numbers."

After the group was dropped off, police officers in a cruiser came by and called for a different van to take the nine people to a downtown homeless shelter, Davis said.

Terry Lusty, a spokesman with the Canadian Native Friendship Centre in Edmonton, called the allegations troubling.

"If officers aren't acting appropriately with visible minorities it creates distrust, it creates feelings of animosity. And then people wonder why is it aboriginal people or other minority groups dislike police or won't co-operate with them."

Lusty said Boyd has been working to build better relations with the aboriginal community since he took over the role of police chief.