Members of the business community explored the proposal for overnight security patrols in the Town of St. Paul, after receiving an invitation to the Feb. 9 town council meeting to discuss the proposal.
Steven Spacil, CEO of Lakeland Security Services, explained his proposal to council and the businesspeople gathered, which would involve a security person patrolling the streets of St. Paul in a marked, visible security unit seven nights a week.
“We’ve been doing it somewhat voluntarily, but it’s just not feasible to carry on,” he said, explaining there would have to be an arrangement for compensation for security services. Spacil clarified that security officers were not police officers, but would provide “extra eyes out on the street.”
He said the security person and unit would provide extra visibility and cameras, at a cost of $240 per night, or $87,600 a year.
Council discussed if the service would be needed seven days a week, and Spacil’s view was that there were peak hours when extra eyes were helpful, such as Fridays or Saturdays or when people were leaving the bar early in the morning. “It just depends on what’s happening around town.”
Council threw the floor to members of the St. Paul and District Chamber of Commerce. For Danny Smyl, general manager of Smyl Motors, the topic was important as his dealership’s inventory is out in the open.
“We don’t close it off but the damage we get is huge,” he said, relating one incident from a May long weekend where two or three individuals went through the dealership, jumping from one vehicle to another, and within minutes, causing $19,000 in damages. Despite having cameras in place, items are often damaged or stolen, which was true of the neighbouring RV centre, he said.
Fencing these lots off would be an eyesore, he said, adding he felt a more visible security presence might be better. “Having this extra security in town would be a plus.”
Smyl said he had volunteered with Citizens on Patrol in the past, but that he couldn’t carry on, and that volunteers do get drained over time.
Graham Getz, general manager at the St. Paul and District Co-op, said the mall had invested $30,000 in camera systems, and even still, tires have been slashed and the last two months have seen an increase in dumpster diving. He added that people would be amazed by the amount of illicit activity that takes place over the hours between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., recorded by the cameras.
“At the end of the day, we want to make sure St. Paul is a safe and inviting place,” said Getz in an interview after the meeting, adding he still was keeping an open mind about what that might entail.
After the Chamber members had left, mayor and councillors discussed the item further.
“Because we want business in town, we should ante up and get this,” speculated Coun. Ken Kwiatkowski.
But others noted there hadn’t been enough feedback collected yet and CAO Ron Boisvert asked whether businesses would be willing to cover the cost of the security patrol, for instance, through an increase on their mill rates.
After expressing disappointment that more people had not come out to voice their opinion, Coun. Dwight Wiebe asked, “How much are we spending on RCMP?”
CAO Ron Boisvert answered policing cost the town $1.4 million, while Mayor Glenn Andersen noted spending nearly $90,000 would be like hiring another town peace officer, while providing no guarantees that crime would be curbed.
Council decided to wait until more feedback was gathered from the St. Paul District Chamber of Commerce before making a decision on the matter.
