News (Media Awareness Project) - CN BC: Drug Dealers Getting Free Ride On Skytrain |
| Title: | CN BC: Drug Dealers Getting Free Ride On Skytrain |
| Published On: | 2000-01-24 |
| Source: | Province, The (CN BC) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-09-05 05:38:06 |
DRUG DEALERS GETTING FREE RIDE ON SKYTRAIN
TransLink's own police force are toothless tigers when it comes to dealing
with drug dealers.
The laws that govern SkyTrain's 42 special constables handcuff them too when
it comes to arresting people they know have an outstanding warrant against
their name.
"When they see somebody who is wanted or they believe they have drugs in
their possession, all they can do is alert the jurisdictional police along
the line," said TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie.
"And in the case of drugs, they ask the person to get of.
"That presumes a police officer is available at the point where the
individual gets off the line," he said.
TransLink has been pushing the provincial government to restoring arrest
powers which were routinely used until overturned by a 1996 court case.
A recent government report on TransLink security concluded such arrests
should only be done by recognized police forces with training - "which many
special provincial constables do not currently have."
Hardie counters that most of TransLink's special constables are former cops
with an average of 20 years experience.
Others were trained at the B.C. Justice Insstitute, lacking only advanced
detective skills and firearms training.
The officers, says Hardie, are content with their pepper spray and batons
and have never pushed for firearms.
TransLink's special constables are authorized to arrest for all criminal
code offences that occur on the company's property.
The arrest "trouble spots" are the larger stations, with Metrotown and New
Westminster at the top of the list.
In the first nine months of 1999, TransLink's police conducted 4714 arrests.
Hardie says that's a very small figure when compared to the 47 million rides
on SkyTrain annually. He also says it's unfair to compare the figures to
some U.S. authorities.
A "brush up" against an officer or a verbal assault could be recorded as an
assault in TransLink statistics while a U.S. transit authority such as that
in Washington D.C. only records offences when a firearm is produced or
actual bodily harm occurs.
Reactions to the report are being solicited until the end of this month.
TransLink's own police force are toothless tigers when it comes to dealing
with drug dealers.
The laws that govern SkyTrain's 42 special constables handcuff them too when
it comes to arresting people they know have an outstanding warrant against
their name.
"When they see somebody who is wanted or they believe they have drugs in
their possession, all they can do is alert the jurisdictional police along
the line," said TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie.
"And in the case of drugs, they ask the person to get of.
"That presumes a police officer is available at the point where the
individual gets off the line," he said.
TransLink has been pushing the provincial government to restoring arrest
powers which were routinely used until overturned by a 1996 court case.
A recent government report on TransLink security concluded such arrests
should only be done by recognized police forces with training - "which many
special provincial constables do not currently have."
Hardie counters that most of TransLink's special constables are former cops
with an average of 20 years experience.
Others were trained at the B.C. Justice Insstitute, lacking only advanced
detective skills and firearms training.
The officers, says Hardie, are content with their pepper spray and batons
and have never pushed for firearms.
TransLink's special constables are authorized to arrest for all criminal
code offences that occur on the company's property.
The arrest "trouble spots" are the larger stations, with Metrotown and New
Westminster at the top of the list.
In the first nine months of 1999, TransLink's police conducted 4714 arrests.
Hardie says that's a very small figure when compared to the 47 million rides
on SkyTrain annually. He also says it's unfair to compare the figures to
some U.S. authorities.
A "brush up" against an officer or a verbal assault could be recorded as an
assault in TransLink statistics while a U.S. transit authority such as that
in Washington D.C. only records offences when a firearm is produced or
actual bodily harm occurs.
Reactions to the report are being solicited until the end of this month.
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