Community safety officers responded to nearly 3,500 unique calls during its first five months of service. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

busy unit

Nearly 3,500 calls for service for Nanaimo’s community safety officers in first 5 months

Mar 28, 2023 | 4:38 PM

NANAIMO — Tasked with supporting downtown Nanaimo businesses, residents and the homeless community, a specialized municipally funded safety unit has had their hands full.

Twelve community safety officers (CSO’s) hired last year by the City of Nanaimo to address spiraling social disorder and strengthen connections with unsheltered populations. The initiative resulted in 3,465 calls for service between October and February, according to the City.

Dave LaBerge, manager of bylaw services, provided an update to councillors on the high-profile team during a Monday, March 27 meeting.

“I think we could double the size of the unit and keep them all very busy, but just mindful that these are downstream resources and we’re really hopeful that we can find some upstream solutions that will lessen the demand and that would probably suit everybody best,” LaBerge told the committee.

The CSO’s, made up of employees from law enforcement, social service and clinical outreach backgrounds, headlines roughly $2.5 million worth of annual spending from the Downtown Nanaimo Community Safety Action Plan.

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The team was phased in late last summer for training prior to patrolling downtown area streets, parks, homeless encampments and parkades.

Multiple employees with the same legal authority as bylaw officers patrol the downtown area by foot or vehicle between 6 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. seven days a week.

LaBerge said the nimble team is often able to respond to calls for service within half an hour, noting their de-escalation training is designed for the CSO”s to solve various problems without police involvement.

He said while the CSO’s are well supported within the unit and broader community, the team is “thinly spread” and some fatigue and strain is already being shown.

“I would say over the long-term it is a very fulsome mission and it’s going to bring challenges as we move forward,” the former longtime Nanaimo RCMP officer said.

CSO’s are often accompanied by bylaw officers and RCMP members to regular patrols at known encampments, which includes retrieving stolen goods, LaBerge noted.

Proactive patrols allow the CSO’s to develop strong relationships with business owners and marginalized populations, LaBerge said, which includes late night aid when most social services providers are not available.

While he didn’t have data to provide, LaBaerge said the CSO’s frequently administer naloxone and CPR to various members of the street community.

“I can tell the committee that they’ve saved many, many lives in the first five months.”

Nanaimo RCMP Supt. Lisa Fletcher was asked about how the CSO’s have impacted their frontline officers.

She said strong connections formed with the CSO’s and bylaw personnel has allowed their members to focus more on different parts of Nanaimo.

“I will say that it changed our focus in terms of the downtown knowing that the community safety officers are readily accessible,” Fletcher said.

Nanaimo councillors were told during the meeting City staff are leaning toward having the consultant who formed the Downtown Nanaimo Community Safety Action Plan to compile a one year review of the effectiveness of the CSO program.

City chief administrative officer Jake Rudolph said the audit might be a good time to inform different or additional funding for the CSO program.

The CSO’s can be reached via dispatch Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at 250-755-4422, while during after-hours and weekends the unit can be accessed at 250-758-5222.

Other highlights of the $2.5 million plan to address safety issues and improve the vitality of downtown Nanaimo involves enhanced cleaning efforts.

LaBerge stated a second “clean team” tasked with removing garbage, other debris and human waste from downtown streets and sidewalks began working in January.

A vandalism relief grant program launched in October which issued more than $8,800 to downtown businesses through the end of the year to cover costs for a dozen incidents of graffiti, broken windows and pried open doors.

Pending safety enhancements to downtown parkades feature an updated surveillance video system at the parkade beneath the Vancouver Island Conference Centre and a new surveillance system set up at the Harbour Front parkade.

More clarity regarding the scope of Nanaimo’s homeless situation is expected in the weeks ahead when a province-wide Point-in-Time Homeless count takes place locally on April 27.

In addition to the number of unsheltered people residing in the Nanaimo area, the census will decipher various health challenges people living rough, face, what their income sources are, and services they access.

The last homeless census conducted in Nanaimo in March 2020 found about 433 people were unhoused, representing a significant increase from the 335 people considered homeless in Nanaimo during a 2018 count.

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes