Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Feb 27/02) - The typical Friday lunch hour at Centre Square Mall has become decidedly atypical the past few weeks.

A uniformed security detail, provided by Centurion Security, has been patrolling the mall for the last month.

"Capt." Dave Beckwith introduces his security team near the mall information kiosk.

"This is Lieut. Scott Beckwith," he says as he gestures to his brother.

Both men sport a gold braid on their epaulets. The microphones of their walkie-talkies are clipped near their shoulders.

Two other guards round out the detail.

"C'mon, we'll show you the parkade," says Scott Beckwith.

Centre Square brought in Centurion to stem what they say was the tide of loiterers and drunks who congregate in the mall.

Like or loathe Centurion, and it seems no one in Yellowknife is indifferent about Dave Beckwith's company, their work is definitely valued by mall management.

That means they're probably here to stay.

Jennifer Marchant, manager of one half of the mall, says it's "unfortunate" they've had to resort to uniformed security guards, but "we've had so many complaints," both from the public and from the mall's tenants.

Since the beginning of the year, Marchant's office has fielded "between 30 and 40" complaints from mall tenants, shoppers, and residents of Northern Heights Condominiums, which uses the mall's parkade.

"At the request of our tenants, we're acting on this," says Marchant.

"We're just doing the best we possibly can," she adds.

Shawnette McNeil manages the other side of Centre Square, from the small stairwell near Arctic Spirit Sportswear, to the Franklin Street entrance.

Doing nothing is not an option, she says.

Two years ago, McNeil suffered a broken hand, courtesy of some loiterers.

"Some kids were running through the halls in the hotel, and I got pushed down a flight of stairs," says McNeil.

Noon to 1:30 p.m. is Centurion's busy time.

Students on their lunch breaks quick fill up the main concourse.

"We ask them to move if they're standing in the middle part of the hall, because it slows the traffic," Dave Beckwith says.

Likewise the entrances. The guards politely ask people to move along if the entrances become clogged.

"Keep it moving, boys," a teenaged girl mutters at the guards as they walk past.

The guards pay little heed to her and admit their work is mostly "judgment calls."

None of the work is particularly glamorous, but Scott Beckwith says there's one fringe benefit.

"You get a pretty good workout from walking the steps," in the parkade, he says.

The guards also check for people hanging around in the mall's parking garage. Hence, the trip up to the parkade.

"Kids are famous for going up in the parkade," says Scott Beckwith. Mostly, they find smokers, or the odd drug deal.

"You can smell (marijuana) on the fourth floor," of the parkade, he says.

Just then, his radio crackles to life.

"I've got two smokers in the parkade," the voice on the other end says.

Scott Beckwith meets his counterpart two flights up the parkade. Two sheepish-looking teenaged boys are in tow.

Scott Beckwith escorts the pair to the mall's administration offices and municipal enforcement is called.

Merchants welcome security

Yannick Larocque manages the Bata shoe store. His shop recently took a $1,300 hit when vandals spray-painted a rack of coats facing the hall.

"It seems like they just casually walked by and spray-painted six jackets," says Larocque.

Since Centurion arrived, Larocque says there's a big difference.

"We definitely have seen an improvement, he says."