The female bus driver pulled to a stop on School Draw Avenue after an 11-year-old and a 14-year-old got into a tussle on the way home. After an unsuccessful attempt to intervene, bylaw officers were contacted but the call was referred to the RCMP.

Paul Gamble, manager of municipal enforcement, said his officers don't have the authority to deal with such incidents.

"We called the RCMP ourselves and they said they would send an officer out there to attend that," Gamble explained. "That's as much as (we) can do."

Because the seven RCMP members on duty at the time were busy, 20 minutes passed before an officer made it to the scene. Meanwhile, the bus idled and the students had to wait while the combatants ran out of steam.

"It took some time for us to get there," RCMP Staff Sgt. Dave Grundy explained. "We have to prioritize our calls and that was a low priority. I know people don't like to hear that but we have more serious crimes in progress. That's what we attend to first."

Arctic Frontier co-manager Mark Loan said he understands the RCMP's plight and noted the officer who responded already had someone in the back of the squad car -- obviously handling two cases at once.

There was a little bloodshed in the interim, but "the constable was extremely helpful when he got there," Loan said, adding that just having someone in uniform show up was enough to diffuse the situation.

The antagonist had his bus privileges revoked.

There have been four or five such incidents since the beginning of the school year, Loan said.

"It's really up to us to keep the peace on the buses," he said, adding that he normally tends to such matters himself. "We try to use progressive discipline with the kids but we have zero tolerance with violence."