TRANSIT COPS TO GET POLICING POWERS

Transit constables will be given the power to arrest criminals on the SkyTrain line and regional bus system, Burnaby North MLA Richard Lee confirmed this week.

Solicitor General Rich Coleman is expected to make an official announcement by the end of this month.

It's good news for SkyTrain passengers, who have expressed concerns about security on the lines.

"It will help to suppress crime and create more effective enforcement," said Lee, who has been advocating the change for years.

Special constables will become a designated police unit.  TransLink documents suggest the new status will come with new uniforms and badges.

It's believed the change will eliminate the problem of citizens challenging the authority of TransLink constables, which the transportation authority says puts transit officers and transit users at risk.

For some time, the 77 special constables policing Greater Vancouver SkyTrain and bus stations have been pressing for more powers, including the authority to arrest criminals on the transit system.  TransLink has also looked at the possibility of arming its constables, although Coleman has since said the officers will not carry guns.  A Justice Institute of B.C.  review will take place after the unit is established to determine what types of equipment the members should have.

Special constables currently carry handcuffs, pepper spray, batons, cellular phones and radios.

Problems arose because constables lacked the authority to make arrests for drug possession or outstanding warrants - they can only hold a criminal if he or she has not paid the fare.  The officers currently cannot exercise their authority in situations that originate off transit properties.  As a result, TransLink is powerless to stop criminals from using transit to flee crime scenes.

Constables recently received official powers to ban drug dealers and other offenders from the system for 24-hour periods.  For repeat offenders, constables can compel them to make a court appearance; failure to appear in court results in an arrest warrant.

They also have the authority to eject panhandlers and fare-evaders from the transit system.  In 2002, 2,558 people were ejected from the transit system for various offences.

Last November, TransLink's board passed a recommendation to apply for designated police unit status for SkyTrain constables.  The plan has received the support of jurisdictional police, including the RCMP and the Vancouver Police Department.

The newly formed policing unit will be responsible to the jurisdictional police.  It will likely be run by a board comprised of RCMP, Vancouver Police and other regional policing representatives, along with at least one TransLink representative.

Coleman's office did not confirm the unit would be formed but said an announcement on the subject will be made in the next two weeks.