New Winnipeg Transit safety team hits streets for first time
Community safety team created to deal with concerns about safety on buses
Officers from the first cohort of Winnipeg's long-awaited community safety team had their first day on the job Tuesday, patrolling the city's downtown transit corridors and making themselves visible to the public.
Robert Chrismas, the former police officer hired to lead the team, said it's already been a busy day.
"We've just started, but we already handled half a dozen incidents in the first 10 minutes, as they stepped off the bus. So, I think, great success," Chrismas told a group of reporters gathered near the bus stop at the corner of Graham Avenue and Donald Street on Tuesday.
The incidents included intervening in what Chrismas described as a "domestic dispute" involving people under the influence of methamphetamine. An officer also connected with people sheltering in bus shacks around the area.
The team, which includes 21 officers and two supervisors, was created in response to growing concerns about violence on Winnipeg Transit, but the officers didn't actually start patrolling on buses on Tuesday.
"We eventually will be stepping on the buses and dealing with incidents, but for today, we just wanted to get out and be seen and start to acclimatize the team to the environment," Chrismas said.
The officers, who will be equipped with batons and handcuffs, have been trained to de-escalate dangerous situations, provide emergency first-aid and help vulnerable people get resources. They also have the authority to arrest and detain people.
Winnipeg Transit has seen a spike in violence on buses, including the 2017 murder of Transit driver Jubal Fraser.
In 2023, the number of security incidents on Winnipeg Transit almost doubled from the previous year to 257, according to numbers provided by the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505.
Bridging the gap
It's an issue that team supervisor Sean Berman, a former Transit inspector, knows well.
"It always seemed like there was a bit of a gap between what we could do and what needed to be done, and I believe this team bridges that gap and allows us to better serve the citizens of Winnipeg," Berman told reporters.
Chrismas wouldn't specify which routes the safety officers would be patrolling, but said they would focus on routes connected to downtown.
"We're going to be intelligence-led and very laser-focused on where we try to apply these resources … where the problems are," he said.
Colleen McManus, who was waiting at a bus stop with her son, Andrew McManus, welcomed the safety team's arrival.
"I'm actually very happy about that," Colleen said. "We take the bus every day for work, and sometimes it gets a little scary for us as well as the driver."
Andrew McManus said he likes that the officers will take responsibility for intervening away from bus drivers.
"They put up the shields for the bus drivers, but then people can still reach around that and hit them and do whatever. It's not really protecting anything," he said.
For Mayor Scott Gillingham, the start of the safety team fulfils a campaign promise.
"I trust that it gives transit riders greater confidence in riding the bus, and the transit operators as well," he said.
Union president 'cautiously optimistic'
Chris Scott, president of the transit union, says he's hopeful the team has a positive impact.
"My members, as with anything provided from their employer, they're going to be cautiously optimistic, kind of wait to see," he said.
"There is a huge social aspect required of this new team to address the needs of those people that may be a disturbance on the bus, but there is an enforcement aspect that could come into play should things develop."
While the officers are there to promote safety, the union also hopes they'll cut down on fare evasion by making sure that passengers getting on buses pay for their rides.
But Gillingham says fare enforcement won't be a major focus of the teams, at least, not at first.
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