Transit safety team trained, equipped and ready to roll

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This article was published 16/02/2024 (596 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Twenty-three community safety officers are ready to ride the buses.

The team, who will begin patrolling Winnipeg Transit buses and stops next week, will defuse dangerous situations, provide first aid and help vulnerable people connect to resources as part of the long-awaited program aimed at making buses safer.

For years, Winnipeg residents, Transit drivers and politicians have expressed alarm over a surge in violence against drivers and passengers. The new officers should ensure a safer future, said Mayor Scott Gillingham, following a Friday graduation ceremony for the officers.

“They are trained individuals, they’re coming at their job with a commitment to compassion, but yet (will) be diligent as well. I believe their presence alone is going to make our buses safer,” said Gillingham.

Clad in fluorescent yellow and black uniforms, the safety officers will be equipped with soft body armour, slash-resistant gloves, safety boots, handcuffs, collapsible batons, first-aid equipment and opioid antidotes, said Bob Chrismas, who leads the community safety team.

While provincial legislation would allow the officers to carry pepper spray, they will not initially do so, though that decision could be revisited, said Chrismas.

The graduates completed five weeks of training, which included self defence, use of force, advanced first aid, trauma-informed care and diversity training, he said. The team includes two supervisors who will also work on buses.

“There was a lot of scenario-based training and teaching them how to assess what they are stepping into and (to) try and not step into a dangerous situation if they can recognize it,” said Chrismas.

The officers will be able to arrest and detain people, including potentially detaining intoxicated individuals to ensure they receive medical help.

“If somebody, say, is in a meth-induced psychosis, we can detain them and hold them to be checked out by fire paramedic (staff), maybe avoid (other) resources being sent,” said Chrismas.

The provincial government has provided $5 million for the program, which is expected to cost $2.5 million this year.

“These new (officers) will reduce demands on police resources and will significantly improve (the) ability to stop dangerous people from hurting Manitobans,” said Justice Minister Matt Wiebe.

Gillingham’s office said city funding is in place to ensure the program continues until 2027.

The union for Transit drivers said that with 257 security incidents in 2023, it’s clear the new safety presence is urgently needed.

“The safety has diminished exponentially, probably in the last five years. We believe… it’s been exacerbated by the conditions implemented through the pandemic, with many businesses shutting down, many people were forced onto the streets or into other services, finding different methods to cope with that stress of now not having a place to live or having food insecurities. We need to help them,” said Chris Scott, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505.

Safety concerns have been frequent. On Feb. 13, police were called to the Osborne transit station after a man was stabbed. And on Feb. 3, a bus driver was assaulted by a passenger, as per police reports.

Winnipeg Transit counted 117 assaults against bus drivers last year, based on Criminal Code categories. ATU says that rises to 164 assaults when verbal threats are included.

“One assault is too many in… anybody’s (workplace). But the fact that it keeps climbing concerns us… (Hopefully), starting next week, we’ll begin to see a decline in these numbers as the issues that many of these people face will be addressed by the community safety team,” said Scott.

The safety officers take to the buses on Tuesday, a day later than Gillingham previously announced.

Michael Jack, the city’s chief administrative officer, said the revised date reflects a decision to avoid starting the program on Louis Riel Day.

“We considered starting on a statutory holiday… and decided that wasn’t the appropriate day to start rolling out something like this, (since it would not be) even indicative of a typical day on the transit system,” said Jack.

Chrismas said safety officer shifts will align with Transit service, including statutory holidays and weekends, with locations targeted to match where they are most needed. A city news release said that will begin primarily on routes connected to downtown.

“Safety officers will be visible on buses, in marked community safety team vehicles, and on-foot around downtown Winnipeg Transit hubs, such as Graham Avenue,” the release notes.

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The city did not allow the graduates to answer questions from the media.

The Winnipeg Police Association filed a grievance against the program last month. The union alleged the program violates its collective agreement because staff will arrest and detain people, which should fall under the domain of police.

Jack has said the labour complaint won’t interfere with the start date.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.

Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.