MOOSE JAW — Police officers’ regular patrolling of Crescent Park in October helped them discover — and relocate — nearly 10 homeless people, including two who had erected a temporary shelter.
Residents raised concerns about the safety of Crescent Park and the people occupying that green space, so the Moose Jaw Police Service began a program where its members regularly checked the park day and night, senior leadership said during the recent Board of Police Commissioners’ meeting.
The focus was to search for people who didn’t have anywhere to stay and decided to live in the park or sleep there overnight.
During three weeks in October, officers encountered six people and helped them acquire the proper resources, senior leadership said. However, there were two people whom officers encountered more than once who constructed a shelter using tarps.
“And so our members worked with them, those structures were removed, and I believe the work is still ongoing with some other agencies to make sure these people have the proper supports,” Police Chief Rick Bourassa said. “So it was a relatively light number of people.”
The chief pointed out that people — regardless of who they are — are allowed to be in public places, but they are prohibited from constructing shelters since that is inappropriate. Meanwhile, police will continue to work with the City of Moose Jaw’s bylaw enforcement officers to ensure city property is maintained for the public.
Bourassa was unsure what happened to the six individuals, but suspected that other community agencies — such as social services or Willow Lodge — supported them so they had a place to stay.
“So there will be no structures built in public places. That just can’t happen. (But), if they do happen, we encourage everyone (to) … call us if you see these things so we can address them and get in front of it early,” he said.
“And really, what it is is people are just trying to cope. And we connect people with the proper resources so they can cope better.”
Board chairwoman Crystal Froese highlighted how there is no tent city in Crescent Park, contrary to rumours on social media that made the situation worse. She reiterated that this was a single tarp that a homeless resident had strung up, which police handled immediately.
“Our officers are out there and are looking to assist anybody in that way,” she added. “We don’t want anybody living outside in a tent and we certainly don’t want them in the parks at all.”
Trespassing program
Senior leadership provided an update about the Moose Jaw Police Service’s anti-trespassing initiative, saying that the program had now expanded city-wide and was no longer just focused on the downtown.
Leadership indicated that the program’s yellow triangular stickers that businesses and buildings can stick on their windows to show their participation have produced plenty of good feedback.
The board heard that some businesses and buildings had their stickers removed, which contributed to an increase in problems there. However, once new stickers were in place, the issues decreased.
The MJPS knows the stickers are having a positive effect and that they’re helping officers when targeting areas during their patrols, Froese said. The agency is also taking a more strategic approach with its patrols around the city since its members’ efforts allow it to track issues in an area.
The next police board meeting is in early December.
