Police say they have few tools to deal with those 'socializing' near outreach centre in Charlottetown
‘They’re not there to access services, they’re just there to socialize,’ says police chief
Charlottetown's Police Chief says it's "disappointing" to hear people saying they are worried about their safety living in the eastern end of the city, where the provincial Community Outreach Centre and emergency overnight shelter recently put down roots.
At a meeting last week, about 150 people came out to talk about what they consider dramatic changes to their neighbourhood.
Some have found people sleeping in their backyards. Others see needles and other drug paraphernalia discarded on their properties. Some say it's making them nervous about walking on a popular trail near their homes.
"The outreach centre in that part of the city and the homeless shelter has caused an impact," Chief Brad MacConnell told Wayne Thibodeau on CBC Radio's Island Morning. "It's our job to try to minimize that impact, and I think over the last year, we have done a pretty good job at doing that."
Since the provincial government moved the Community Outreach Centre from the curling club on Euston Street to property it owns on Park Street this spring, MacConnell said calls from city residents are down. He said police remain committed to providing "highly visible, highly accessible police services in that area."
Police said they've been taking steps to address residents' ongoing concerns, but they're facing a challenge from one group in particular.
'Disproportional amount of impact'
"There is a small group of individuals that are causing more disruption and impact than others," MacConnell said.
Those people are not there to seek services at the shelter or the outreach centre, but rather are "just there to socialize," he said.
"We are focusing on trying to minimize the impact of that smaller group, and that has been a challenge. There are few mechanisms to help us deal with that group… that small group of people that are causing a disproportional amount of impact, " he said.
MacConnell said he has been working as a member of the premier's task force to improve services for Islanders with complex issues, and so far he has not come up with much — except perhaps an origin story for some of these people.
He has been going to schools the last few months talking to principals, hearing about unprecedented levels of anxiety and behavioural issues in kids.
"These kids aren't on drugs or they're not homeless — yet — but we have to be mindful that they could be," he said. "We have to focus on our youth and find a [way] to help them build resilience."
'We need to find solutions'
MacConnell said police have compassion for those with complex mental health and addiction issues that keep them in a cycle of poverty and crime, but added: "We need to find solutions for that demographic."
He said it is frustrating for officers to deal with the same people day after day and not be able to break through, partly because police must follow the rules set out in the Criminal Code of Canada and respect human rights laws, and are themselves guided by the Police Act.
"It looks like nothing is being done, but in fact, we have exhausted a lot of efforts in trying to deal with these people. But again, we can only use the tools that we have," MacConnell said.
After himself going door to door recently, talking to residents from the area around the outreach centre and shelter, the police chief said most people understand the services offered there are needed and want to support their fellow Islanders.
"What they don't want is to be impacted daily by those supports, and that's understandable," MacConnell said.
"We're doing all we can to try to minimize the impact and share what we're seeing to our partners, and in the groups we speak at. It's important for everyone to know the challenges and the realities of the situation."
That's even more important because it looks like the Community Outreach Centre might be staying in the neighbourhood. The province moved it to Park Street this spring, saying that was a temporary measure, but officials would now like it to stay there. They say it needs to stay in the downtown core so that the vulnerable Islanders who need its services can get there without a means of transportation.
People in the area will get another chance to have their say when the city's planning board holds a meeting early in 2025 to get feedback on the province's request to keep the outreach centre on Park Street.
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With files from Wayne Thibodeau