Dane Gibson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jun 11/99) - If you ask bouncers and business owners, they say having a permanent weekend RCMP presence on the 50th street strip is a blessing.

Thanks to support from the City of Yellowknife, Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce and the Liquor Control Board -- RCMP will be patrolling the downtown core on foot during weekends this summer.

"It's a co-ordinated effort to make the downtown area a safer place to be, especially during the night-time hours," RCMP Const. Jeff Hurry said.

"We'll be getting people off the street who are highly intoxicated. At the same time, we're getting out and meeting the people in the bars and businesses -- and freeing up our officers so they can patrol the rest of the city more thoroughly."

Constables Hurry and Ward Hoffman were the first on weekend street patrol last Friday. There are 14 weekends scheduled over the next four months.

Hurry said while on Friday's foot patrol, they steered many heavily- intoxicated individuals to cabs, but still arrested 40 people for being drunk in a public place and seven for causing a disturbance.

"Unfortunately, that was part of the way the evening went but we're expecting those numbers to drop as the program progresses," Hurry said.

"We had the streets cleared by 2:30 which is very good for that part of town, and there was no complaints from 50th Street businesses."

Gold Range head doorman Rick Fair said he was glad to see the uniformed officers walking the streets.

"It shows a little force. This is where all the kids hang out and they bother the drunks when they come out," Fair said.

"Just having the RCMP presence around here will deter kids from trying to roll guys who can't protect themselves."

Michael Payne said he's been hanging around 50th Street since he was six years old. He's 16 now, and said he's glad to see the foot patrols because in his opinion, the problem isn't kids beating up on drunks but the drunks who are beating up on the kids.

"They should be patrolling here because people come in from out-of-town and try pounding on my friends," Payne said.

Payne describes one incident where a man came out of a bar, grabbed a stick and clubbed his friend in the head with it. When the intoxicated man realized he had the wrong kid, he reached into his pocket, apologized, and threw $50 onto the bleeding boy.

When asked why he continues to loiter around the dangerous street at night, Payne shrugs his shoulders.

"I hang around because it's fun and I've always done it. Plus, I always find money laying around," Payne said.

"At least with the police here more people will go home when they should. I think it will clean things up a bit."