M.L. RCMP slowly decreasing panhandling in city

Thanks to the work done by an officer within the Meadow Lake RCMP detachment, panhandling is down along Centre St. yet the situation remains ongoing for police.

While panhandling and loitering complaints are a continuing issue for police, Const. Erin Dunphy said recently the number of complaints increased with the individual’s behaviour becoming more aggressive. She added, typically the individuals were intoxicated and causing concern to businesses and customers.

At first, officers tried arresting the individuals for assault and harassment charges, releasing them the next day, or writing tickets however they had little success.

“I began looking into outstanding fines and selected six individuals who were often the subject of complaints,” Dunphy said. “The report I requested, an Outstanding Fines Information Sheet, is a compilation of fines and surcharges received from the court but never paid.”

The report showed some individuals had outstanding fines dating back to 1989 with the debt ranging from $5,700 up to $20,000.

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Dunphy said an option to handle the outstanding fines is to request a custodial sentence, or a period of time in jail.

Jail terms are looked at on a case by case basis with the Summary Offences Procedure Act outlining the days in jail based on the amount of money in fines.

“I understand receiving a custodial sentence will not fix the situation permanently and the people who are dealing with an alcohol or substance addiction is understandably a difficult one,” Dunphy said adding it’s an option to give the community a bit of a break.

“Not to be harsh on the individuals but it does give them the opportunity to clear up most, if not all of their outstanding debt. It also places them in a situation where they can go through detox and get assistance.”

Out of the six individuals Dunphy researched, two have received custodial sentences and are serving their time and one has left the uptown area, which has brought the panhandling complaints down.

She added Meadow Lake RCMP uses a significant amount of resources and spend a number of hours arresting, processing, lodging or laying tickets on people causing problems on Centre St.

Those who do encounter panhandlers are asked to contact the RCMP, describe what happened and the behaviour of the person.

Colton Swiderski is meadowlakeNOW’s municipal affairs, crime and court, health and education reporter. He can be reached at cswiderski@jpbg.ca or tweet him @coltonswiderski.