'They're becoming quite defiant'
Security guard says he was punched after asking homeless men to leave bank entrance
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A veteran Yellowknife security contractor, who has been in the business for a quarter-century in the city, said he has recently noticed a dramatic change for the worse in behaviour from the city's downtown population.
Brian Carter said homeless people have become more bold now that it is known RCMP may not arrest them for being intoxicated in public.
The change in policy came last fall after police announced it would only take intoxicated people to RCMP cells if there was a public safety threat.
RCMP explained at the time that policy change came, in part, as an effort to shift police resources to other areas, such as drunk driving and drug investigations. An access-to-information request later revealed, however, RCMP are also concerned about complaints resulting from picking up intoxicated people that lead to public inquiries and internal investigations.
Carter said he was assaulted on March 18 as he tried to remove three people from a bank machine kiosk downtown. He did not want to identify the bank where the incident occurred but said he has the contract at that bank to clear the vestibule of people who are not using the bank machine.
He said he clears the vestibule about four times between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. after which the door to the bank machine is locked. Carter said he was just doing his job when a man took exception to being asked to leave and punched him.
He said there were three men loitering in the kiosk at the time. Carter, who was not seriously hurt in the incident, said a passerby did call RCMP and they arrived about 40 minutes later. He said he remained and watched as police arrested the man for assault and disturbing the peace.
Carter said he believes the officers had been busy with higher priority calls at the time.
"The new (RCMP) policy seems to be kind of ragged in its implementation," Carter said. "Sometimes you call the police and they'll come right away, other times they are on something they deem a higher priority and they don't come. I'm not sure they really have an idea of what they want to do themselves. I'm not blaming them. But I handle 98 per cent of the cases myself without having to call them."
Carter said he has seen people who he believes were intoxicated wake up and become very violent. He worries that if he is not there when that happens, these people could take their aggression out on customers who are in the bank doing business.
"The homeless are now aware of this policy ... they've become quite defiant over the last month," he said. "They keep saying the RCMP aren't going to come and get me anymore. That's their attitude. They are much bolder."
Carter said the law forbids him from carrying a weapon of any kind. He also does not carry pepper spray or handcuffs. He said he does not fight back because that would only exacerbate the situation.
"I do carry a cleaning kit in the back of my car," said Carter. "I tell them you want extra warmth? You are going to clean this place up, and I bring out the broom and the dustpan and they usually beat a hasty retreat at that point. It's a non-violent way of addressing the situation."
Carter stopped short of saying that his job has become more dangerous since the RCMP policy change but said that the potential for it to be more dangerous is there.
Yesterday, RCMP Const. Elenore Sturko confirmed the punching incident took place but told Yellowknifer the man was not charged because the complainant declined to lay charges.
Bank machine kiosks are a common place for homeless and intoxicated people to congregate.
An employee at the Toronto Dominion Bank, who did not want his name used, said the bank employs a security guard each evening to make sure bank employees can avoid people loitering in the vestibule and leave the bank safely.
