Security officers keep Westbank safe
A city-funded security patrol in Westbank has been so successful it will be extended by a month, municipal staff say.
Reports of loitering, vandalism, drug use and other undesirable behaviours have declined since the city contracted Paladin Security on a trial basis, council is to hear tomorrow.
“Without having previous statistics, staff would still conclude that a reduction in crime and mischief, along with the associated costs of vandalism repairs and maintenance, was achieved,” parks manager Stacey Harding writes in a report to council.
“Additionally, the time expended by bylaw officials in dealing with crime and mischief was reduced,” Harding says.
“As a result of the trial’s successes, the contract with Paladin has been extended one additional month for October.”
Dealing with minor disturbances and loitering individuals were the most common activity for the Paladin security guards.
Other frequent tasks were dealing with public drunkenness, picking up garbage and needles and investigating cases of vandalism.
The city paid Paladin $39,000 to provide patrols in central Westbank from early August through the end of September, focusing on problem areas like the Lions Hall, Elliot Road transit exchange and the city works yard.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays were the busiest days for the Paladin security guards, accounting for about 45 per cent of the 127 documented interactions with members of the public.
The Paladin guards were able to resolve most of the problems on their own, with West Kelowna RCMP being called by them only six times.
Harding and other senior city managers say the trial was so successful it should be continued next year, beginning in the spring.