Behind the Pearkes recreation building, a thicket of trees hides a camp in Cuthbert Holmes park, complete with a grey dome tent and a round bamboo chair. Unfortunately for the owner, itB次元官网网址檚 moving day.
A Saanich parks crew carefully hauls out muddy mounds of gear, and the tent and chair frame is piled into a work truck.
Saanich police officer Const. Doug Franklin spots a discarded hypodermic needle where the parking lot meets the brush. A parks worker with a long pickup tool deposits it into a syringe box.
B次元官网网址淭his is the third or fourth camp weB次元官网网址檝e found in the park since September,B次元官网网址� says Sgt. Alan Gurzinski. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 regular for somebody to be camping in here.B次元官网网址�
Gurzinski and Franklin are one-half of the Saanich police departmentB次元官网网址檚 mountain bike unit, an all-weather four-officer squad that patrols parks and trails and hidden areas year-round.
Although itB次元官网网址檚 not the unitB次元官网网址檚 only mandate, monitoring and managing homeless camps in Saanich is a constant preoccupation.
B次元官网网址淭here are those to choose to (live) outside and donB次元官网网址檛 bother anybody,B次元官网网址� says Franklin an eight year veteran of the force with 13 months in the bicycle unit. B次元官网网址淲e check on their welfare and donB次元官网网址檛 chase them out. But then we have prolific users who use the park as their Petri dish of hypodermic debris and glass pipes.B次元官网网址�
It doesnB次元官网网址檛 take long for this dayB次元官网网址檚 camp to disappear into the back of Saanich work trucks, and the owner, a known drug user, hasnB次元官网网址檛 appeared. The officer say hauling away someoneB次元官网网址檚 possessions is a last resort.
Most campers are warned over a period of days to move on, but police patience is thin when it comes to consuming drugs a few metres from a recreation centre crawling with kids. Camping is illegal in all parks in Saanich.
B次元官网网址淲e think this guy panhandles at the (Trans-Canada Highway) and McKenzie. He knows not to camp here,B次元官网网址� says Gurzinski, a 17-year Saanich officer who took command of the bike unit last September. B次元官网网址淲e give people the time and opportunity to move along, depending on how big the camp is. If not, we move them out and usually itB次元官网网址檚 quite a mess they leave.B次元官网网址�
At any given time, the bike patrol keeps tabs on 20 to 30 homeless people living in the district, many who struggle with substance abuse, but who want to avoid the toxic downtown street culture
Officers hit the known hotspots every day B次元官网网址� Cuthbert Holmes park is popular due to its size and dense brush B次元官网网址� but police have found camps in every major park in Saanich, including Mount Doug and Elk-Beaver Lake, and in hidden patches of no-manB次元官网网址檚-land along the regional trails.
The officers direct the homeless population toward help, but keeping track of camps is also part of crime prevention.
B次元官网网址淲ith homeless camps comes crime to an area,B次元官网网址� Gurzinski says, typically vehicle break-ins and property theft.
B次元官网网址淲e check to make sure theyB次元官网网址檙e OK,B次元官网网址� he notes. B次元官网网址淲e talk to them about how to get housing and how to look for jobs and work. Sometimes we bring them coffee and make sure they are fed and have water.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淥ne guy named Bill set up camp for a while. There was no drugs or alcohol while he was here (at Cuthbert Holmes park). He was tidy and quiet. YouB次元官网网址檇 never know he was here,B次元官网网址� Franklin recalls. B次元官网网址淥thers leave needles, garbage and use the area as a toilet. And we have people walking their kids and dogs around here.B次元官网网址�
The full-time bike patrol has been part of the Saanich department for a decade. Generally mild weather allows it to operate year-round, similar to the Victoria policeB次元官网网址檚 nine-officer bike unit.
B次元官网网址淥ur guys deal with a decidedly different population than in the downtown core,B次元官网网址� says Sgt. Steve Eassie. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 more residential and more trails, and some very large parks. They have to get around a fairly massive area.B次元官网网址�
The unit added a sergeant to the ranks in September to help focus on different aspects of public outreach, such as connecting with neighbourhood groups on graffiti removal and conducting education and enforcement campaigns on cyclists who donB次元官网网址檛 ride with a helmet or lights at night.
On a main trail in Cuthbert Holmes park, people walking by smile and say hello. The bike officers often find themselves chatting with dog walkers and parents pushing baby strollers B次元官网网址� people happy to see police in the parks. Some are less happy B次元官网网址� one young man avoids eye contact as he pedals past as quick as he can. The officers recognize him as a known drug addict.
B次元官网网址淭he community engagement is great, itB次元官网网址檚 95 per cent positive,B次元官网网址� Gurzinski says. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a positive thing for people to see us out there. People feel safer on the trails and parks.B次元官网网址�
The officers say they enjoy interacting with the public and are passionate about cycling, but itB次元官网网址檚 the stealthy aspects of the bike patrol that make them smile.
Often theyB次元官网网址檒l come across people smoking pot in their cars in mall parking lots, for instance. B次元官网网址淭heir first response is B次元官网网址楧ude, I didnB次元官网网址檛 hear your car,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Franklin says laughing.
On the daily outbound traffic jam on the Trans-Canada Highway, the bike patrol quietly rolls along the road shoulder, checking drivers for cellphones and seat belt infractions, and occasionally catching people lighting up joints or drinking a beer.
B次元官网网址淭hey are really shocked when they realize we are police. A lot of people try to throw their phone away,B次元官网网址� Gurzinksi says.
B次元官网网址淚n the summer months drinking and driving is always an issue, and drugs as well,B次元官网网址� Franklin says. B次元官网网址淧eople are as comfortable in their car as they are at home. TheyB次元官网网址檒l light up a joint and crack a window, and then we ride up.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淎 lot of people canB次元官网网址檛 believe we are all-weather,B次元官网网址� Gurzinksi notes.
B次元官网网址淚 question it too!B次元官网网址� Franklin jokes. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e just four guys passionate about cycling. There are cold days, but we dress for it and weB次元官网网址檙e good to go.B次元官网网址�
editor@saanichnews.com
