GUN-PACKING TRANSIT COPS WILL ALSO ENFORCE DRUG AND THEFT LAWS

Criminals, beware.

Starting Dec. 4, SkyTrain constables will be able to do a lot more
than hand you a ticket for fare evasion.

The Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Police Service launches
its patrols that day, complete with sidearms, new crests and new uniforms.

The jurisdiction of the police force, the first armed transit officers
in Canada, will be extended beyond SkyTrain or TransLink property.

Officers will be able to enforce laws relating to the possession of
drugs or stolen property, as well as enforcing outstanding warrants.

TransLink requested the extra authority for its police from the
provincial government, which granted it in March with the
justification that the "new designated constables will face the same
perils as municipal and RCMP officers, so they too will be authorized
to carry firearms."

The new force is part of the legacy of outgoing TransLink chairman
Doug McCallum.

"We hope the constables' presence on the transit system will provide
an added level of comfort and protection for our customers and our
transit staff," said McCallum.

The force will work with, and be in communication with, the local
police.

While concentrating on SkyTrain, the constables will also be stationed
at major bus depots and will be able to address problems on bus
routes, SeaBus and the West Coast Express.

Not everyone is happy with the fact that the new constables will be
armed.

Micheal Vonn, policy director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association,
said her office has received complaints from residents that fear
gunplay in SkyTrain stations.

"That is terrifying for a lot of people who send their children to
stations to use SkyTrain to go to school," Vonn said.