VAGRANTS FORCING OFFICE TO CLOSE?

Vagrants are becoming such a safety issue downtown that the Fraser
River Port Authority is considering moving from its Westminster
Building offices.

That's what Allen Domaas, president and chief executive officer of the
port authority, wrote to council in a letter dated Jan. 10.

One problem, he said, is the people who loiter around the Columbia
Street building, blocking fire escapes with their bedding, using the
building alcoves as toilets and leaving drug paraphernalia and garbage
lying around.

But it's become worse, Domaas noted.

"On occasion, our staff have been threatened and are now concerned for
their safety when entering and leaving the building, any time of day,"
he wrote. "The strata council have hired a nightly security patrol
company as the police have failed to address the issue."

Speaking in an interview later, Domaas commented that it's hard to pin
down exactly how long this has been a problem.

"What we see is the gradual deterioration of the Columbia Street area
for years," he explained.

"We had the blatant drug dealers years ago. The police were terrific.
They did a great job of cleaning up drug sales. We're just into the
next phase of activity."

That next phase, according to Domaas, is dealing with the people who
live on the street.

"As a citizen of New Westminster, I would like our city to find some
way to provide services to these people," he said.

New Westminster city council received the letter at its Jan. 30
meeting but didn't discuss the concerns.

Mayor Wayne Wright later told The Record that the city had already
taken action to address the concerns. During the recent few weeks of
rainy weather, he said homeless individuals have been seeking shelter,
including near the Westminster Building.

"It's because it is a semi-walled-in area that is sheltered from the
wind and rain," he said.

Insp. Frank Ciaccia, who heads the patrol division of the New
Westminster Police Service, said the police are trying to work with
local businesses on the problem.

At its January meeting, the police board received a copy of the letter
Domaas sent to council, but board members didn't discuss it either.

"We're aware of some of the things that have been going on there,"
Ciaccia noted. "They have been reported to us."

The inspector said that, after the letter came to the attention of the
police, he talked to Sgt. Mike Garbutt, who's in charge of the police
service's operational support unit.

Garbutt hadn't heard back from the port authority as of Feb. 9, but
Ciaccia said vagrancy was an ongoing concern throughout the city and
the police have to set priorities.

"Groups of people hanging out and not necessarily committing criminal
acts are going to rate a little lower than an in-progress crime."

When the police are able to spend time in areas where people loiter,
they might have an effect - but it's often temporary.

"We're not as well-equipped to handle this," Ciaccia said. "Unless
they're committing criminal acts, it's not as easy to pull them off
the street.

"They move along for a period of time, then they return."

But personal safety is a police issue, he said.

"What concerns us is the potential for an altercation to develop into
a violent act because people are losing their patience."

Although a number of businesses have concerns about vagrants, the port
authority and other Westminster Building tenants have an additional
challenge.

"There's issues there with proximity to the Union Gospel Mission,"
Ciaccia explained. "And a lot of (vagrants) are turning up there for
their meals and services."

The inspector suggested that the best course of action is to sit down
with the police and discuss the problems rather than "simply call the
police out and say we're not doing our job."

They have held discussions on the same issue with people at Royal City
Centre in the uptown area and Columbia Square businesses.

One of the things Ciaccia said they have talked about are creative
solutions, such as lighting up darkened, shadowy areas or having
officers drive through or walk through problem spots.

"We're willing to do our part, but we're also asking others to do
theirs."

Wright said police have always had to deal with criminals and drug
users on the streets, but they're being asked more and more to deal
with homeless people.

What's really needed, he said, is funding from senior levels of
government for housing for those people.

"We're talking and talking - what we have to do is get some things
done," he said about services for the homeless. "Luckily we have the
people on our force who are smart enough to be able to understand
these things."

Wright said it's important to realize that all people living on the
streets aren't criminals, as some may be homeless because of mental
illness or other circumstances.

Wright, who is chair of the New Westminster police board, said the
police service takes safety seriously.

"Quite frankly, our police are taxed almost to their limit," he said.
"They are trying."

Domaas said he realized that providing social services isn't the
responsibility of the city or the police, but he wanted them to take
the issue a step further.

"They understand much better the services that might be available to
deal with the matter," he said. "We're just trying to identify a
concern and bring it to the attention of the appropriate agencies.

"It's just a whole issue that there's a matter to be dealt with in the
neighbourhood, and we trust that they would be doing something to
address it."

Domaas also noted that New Westminster wasn't unique in having to deal
with homeless people.

"It's a challenge in every city," he said. "We see it in Vancouver, we
see it in Victoria. Our province is changing around us."

Whatever solutions are found, Domaas said he's not looking for a quick
fix.

"This is not a problem that people can leap up and solve at a moment's
notice. It's a systemic thing that has to be dealt with at many, many
levels."