Security upgrades, police will make city bus terminal safer

Peterborough's downtown transit terminal is about to receive a long-needed security upgrade.

And this will go beyond cameras and panic buttons – if all goes according to plan, city police will set up a satellite station in the former coffee shop location, right at the heart of the troubled bus station.

A city staff report outlining the need for safety upgrades in the wake of a recent wave of criminal activity at the terminal likely comes as no surprise to anyone who uses it regularly.

The station is located on Simcoe Street between George and Aylmer. It's the hub for city transit – all routes start and end there, making it a transfer point for thousands of people a day. It's on the ground floor of a multi-level parking garage with access points on Simcoe and Charlotte streets, through which hundreds of vehicles pass daily.

Panhandling and public intoxication are commonplace in the downtown, including the terminal, and likely come as no surprise for councillors. The staff report, however, also outlines more serious crimes. A transit passenger was sexually assaulted in a stairwell at the building last December. A second incident was reporter in April. Between April and June, thieves broke into 25 vehicles in the parking garage.

Cameras were installed on the transit platform after a 2016 renovation and assisted in the arrest of a sexual assault suspect, but parts of the building have no cameras.

Securitas, the company that handles security for the site, conducted a risk assessment in March. Its findings: “The review highlighted the poor lighting and lack of security camera coverage which makes this area a target for thefts and other illegal activity,” the city staff report states.

The staff report, which was heard by council Monday night, calls for $70,000 in security equipment upgrades, including better lighting and a lighting replacement protocol and panic buttons; $50,000 to renovate space for police; and $62,000 in the 2019 operational budget to pay for additional security patrols of the terminal and parking garage. The report goes to final vote Oct. 1 at this council's last meeting before the Oct. 22 election.

This is a small price to pay to ensure the safety of the people who use the building every day. Many are among the city's vulnerable, including seniors. One or two security guards can't keep them all safe. Cameras are both a deterrent and a crime-solving tool; panic buttons, also a deterrent, can help prevent another tragedy in the stairwells of the building.

Most of all, having police on-site will serve to keep the transit platform safer, as well as offering police improved access to the downtown core.

It's also worth considering the public perception of all this.

As commuters and students hear steady reminders to leave the car at home and use alternate transportation each day – something highlighted during the annual Shifting Gears promotion – it may be hard to convince them that the downtown terminal is a safe, friendly alternative.

The Downtown Business Improvement Area and the city have taken steps in recent years to clean up the downtown and make it safer. The transit terminal, however, has remained a problem.

Cleaning it up, making it safer and, most importantly, having police right on-site is a positive step, and one council should embrace.

This is a small price to pay to ensure the safety of the people who use the building every day.