City sees jump in late-night disturbances reported downtown

Most people feel safe partying in downtown Victoria, but police are increasingly being called out on the weekends to deal with late-night disturbances, say city staff.

“Nuisance [urination, panhandling, intoxication, unwanted persons] and other callouts [alarms, weapons and suspicious event] are high and have recently increased,” says an update on the city’s Late Night Task Force program.

There was a steady drop in calls for service between 2010 and 2013 after police dedicated four officers to late-night patrols Friday and Saturday nights as part of Late Night Task Force recommendations.

By 2013, calls had decreased by 26 per cent, but over the past three years calls have been on the increase and risen back to 2010 levels, says a report going to councillors this week.

Mayor Lisa Helps said she’s somewhat at a loss to explain the increase in police calls.

“I don’t have any explanation, but I am curious myself,” said Helps, who plans to propose reconvening the task force for monthly meetings to address emerging issues .

“I think sometimes it’s just that these things go unchecked.”

The report says that some of the increase was due to disturbances in the 800/900 block of Douglas — in front of the Strathcona Hotel — that has most of its licensed seats closing at 2 a.m.

The report says the Strathcona Hotel has made significant progress in dealing with noise issues inside the facility, but that issues persist as people congre- gate on the sidewalks in the area.

A taxi stand was set up at Broughton to help draw patrons away from nearby condos, and “mind the neighbours” sandwich board signs are put out on weekends.

Still, it says, conflicts between entertainment properties and residences are bound to increase as more condos are built and more people move downtown.

“In Victoria, residential buildings are being constructed in the downtown core where it is sometimes difficult to respond effectively to issues such as noise complaints.

“That’s part of what, I guess, council needs to consider when it’s approving new condo developments — what is nearby,” Helps said.

The report says that 70 per cent of 105 downtown patrons interviewed in 2014 felt safe and that 30 per cent believed downtown had become safer over the previous few years.

The city budgets $350,000 a year for late-night initiatives, the bulk of which ($218,000) funds the four special-duty officers working Friday and Saturday nights.

The late-night program includes a number of initiatives:

• a half-time co-ordinator

• maintaining supervised taxi zones at three locations

• late-night buses

• patrols by four police officers Friday and Saturday nights between 10:30 p.m. and 3:30 a.m.

• co-operation between enforcement agencies

• promotion of Bar-Watch participation

• public awareness program

• more public urinals and food vendors.