Council delays patrol payment

By Darren HandschuhTuesday, March 27, 2007, http://www.dailycourier.ca/article_1066.php

Commissionaires will be patrolling the downtown core through August, but after that their future is uncertain.The Commissionaires were hired by the Downtown Vernon Association to patrol the city centre after safety concerns were raised by downtown employees, customers and seniors.The safety patrol has been paid for mainly by the DVA with some private donations helping to cover costs.The city, however, is not so eager to chip in.Council voted on Monday to table a request for $40,000 for the program.Council will revisit the request in July.Coun. Pat Cochrane and Coun. Patrick Nicol supported the financial request, but were the only ones to do so.Coun. Barry Beardsell said the city’s new bylaw enforcement officers will be able to do the job. Beardsell said a new batch of police auxiliaries will also soon be on the street, again eliminating the need for the Commissionaires.“I do believe this is not the right approach,” Beardsell said of the private security.

Coun. Juliette Cunningham said some of the downtown businesses she has spoken have told her the Commissionaires are not the best way to go.Cunningham said she would rather see the $40,000 spent on additional policing dedicated strictly to the downtown core.She also pointed out the bylaw officers will be trained by the RCMP this weekend and will have more power and authority than the Commissionaires, although she could not say how much power the officers would have.Cunningham said the goal of hiring more bylaw officers was not to increase ticket revenue, but to provide added security to the city.Nicol said the Commissionaires program is a “classic citizen-driven initiative.”He said there was a problem and the businesses and people took action to do something about it and he supported keeping the Commissionaires around.Cochrane said he is not sure of the exact role of the bylaw officers and if they are doing the same job as the Commissionaires then that is all that is needed, but if they aren’t then he suggested there may be room for both groups.

DVA president Malcolm Dunn said he is disappointed, but still optimistic as council did not flatly refuse the funding.Dunn said a meeting with police and bylaw officers is being set up for next week to discuss the issues.Dunn suggested the councillors who voted against the request need to hear from more of the “voting” public.Dunn said the Commissionaires covered times the bylaw officers will not, because of the bylaw officers’ contract with the city.The Commissionaires patrolled the downtown in the early morning and late afternoon