A security officer will soon be patrolling Timmins streets, adding an extra level of overnight safety and security.
While one extra person on the street may not be enough, it's more than there is now, said Mayor Michelle Boileau at the end of a lengthy discussion on the item at Timmins council's June 27 meeting.
Pads K9 Protection and Detection, a Timmins-based company, was awarded the $100,336 contract to patrol overnight and help reduce vandalism and crime without further straining police resources. The city budgeted $125,000 for the program, which is based on the Sault Ste. Marie model. The cost is covered by the city's portion of the municipal accommodation tax (MAT).
Fourteen bids ranging from $100,366 to $265,320 were submitted to the city for the contract. Six of the bids were not compliant.
With a number of community safety items on the agenda, supporters of the Move Living Space Facebook group filled the audience in council chambers, with other people protesting on the sidewalk outside of city hall.
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The one-person security patrol will run daily from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., said CAO Dave Landers. The purpose is to keep an eye out and identify issues to the police.
Putting the local program in place started with the Downtown BIA, but it has expanded to include other areas of the city. It means the security guard can go to hotel parking lots where there have been complaints or to different neighbourhoods, said Landers.
“They would be reporting issues through 911 or regular police telephone line,” said Landers.
Coun. Bill Gvozdanovic wants more boots on the ground and tried to defer the item. He wanted the extra time to explore, for example, how many people are needed to alleviate the concerns and the overtime costs for extra police officers to be working.
“Those are the boots we want on the ground,” he said.
Timmins Police is approved for a complement of 96 officers and has yet to reach 90 officers.
Right now, there are 79 officers, Chief Dan Foy told council. This includes all people in uniform from constables to the chief.
Earlier this year, the service launched a $30,000 signing bonus to attract experienced officers. The goal was to attract eight to 12 officers, but no one signed on under the program.
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Another part of the recruitment campaign was that Timmins Police was going to pay the cost of attending Ontario Police College (OPC) for successful cadets.
Shortly after the local announcement, however, Ontario eliminated police college tuition fees and expanded the number of recruits being trained each year in the province.
In the spring, Timmins Police sent five cadets to OPC and they hope to send six or seven more in the fall.
Coun. Steve Black, who sits on the Timmins Police board, wants to see the service get back to the stage of walking beats. He noted, however, that the service has been taxed and has struggled with staffing issues.
When the service is at full complement, he said there will be more police presence on foot patrols.
“The purpose of this (program) is to get through the shortage we’re at now,” said Black.
With some of the concerns being raised by residents being tied to addiction and mental health, Coun. Lorne Feldman questioned if there are funding opportunities through the province or Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board (CDSSAB).
Local agencies have received money for addiction services. Landers mentioned the Jubilee Centre and Timmins and District Hospital as examples. For this particular program, he doesn't think another agency will chip in for the cost.
When council approved the security pilot project, however, a program offering additional outreach downtown was also part of it.
The city has budgeted $125,000 for trained outreach workers to help vulnerable people.
The RFP for that program is expected to go out this week. Boileau said there will be partner funding for that program.
With the security pilot project starting with the BIA, Coun. Cory Robin supported the item because something needs to be done today.
“This is a start, but I want to see more of it. Especially with the BIA,” said Robin, who is also the BIA board chair.
He wants to have more conversations to look at additional security, specifically downtown. He said there is a little bit of money in the MAT fund, but noted that the city can't fund this on its own and is going to bleed itself dry by offering alternate policing.
