Prince Albert Police Service Chief Jon Bergen. (File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Report going to council

No tickets issued under P.A.’s alley curfew bylaw

Feb 19, 2021 | 3:23 PM

Eight months after it was passed by city council, police are giving the public a first look at the roll-out and enforcement of Prince Albert’s controversial alley access bylaw, and it would appear there’s not much to report.

Police say there have been no tickets issued under the bylaw, nor has there been any increase in enforcement related to it.

Under the bylaw, rear lanes in the city are closed between the hours of 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. Anyone found in the restricted areas after curfew is subject to a fine of between $500 and $5,000.

Prince Albert city council passed the measure aimed at combatting property crime in June, despite opposition from critics who said it could contribute to racial profiling.

A report on the implementation of the bylaw is on the agenda for Monday’s council meeting.

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Report from police

Asked why no tickets have been issued, Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) Chief Jon Bergen told paNOW, although police had looked into it, he ultimately could not provide an answer.

“We did ask that question, we looked at our records and we don’t know why there were no tickets issued,” he said.

To compile information for the one-page report going to council Monday, PAPS reviewed records of calls for service and gathered observations from staff sergeants.

They found there had been no increase in the day-to-day calls received for back alley issues, as the calls received “are typically for suspicious or criminal activity.” In one incident provided as an example, an officer stopped someone in a back alley at 2:30 a.m. who had been seen checking vehicle door handles.

“Though this was a violation of the Alley Access Bylaw, it was also probable criminal behaviour and that provided the member the authority to detain the individual and conduct an investigation that resulted in criminal charges,” the report said.

Bergen said he has not asked for any dedicated patrols in alleys related to the bylaw and the report noted there has not been any changes or increases in enforcement associated with it.

However, Bergen noted the bylaw is useful to police in that it gives members the authority to respond when the public complains someone is in an alley during restricted hours.

Protocols and hypotheticals

As for how officers enforce the bylaw when they find someone in an alley at night, when asked, Bergen said there were no specific protocols.

“We don’t have protocols for any one bylaw, we have standard operating procedures for all bylaws and all provincial statutes and this one isn’t one that we view as any different,” he said. “We leave our officers to exercise their discretion as they see fit throughout their duties and we have complete confidence in them.”

The bylaw includes a number of exemptions, including for people using a rear lane beside their residence. When asked how police would determine someone’s residency and if it would be necessary to ask for identification, Bergen said it could be done “a number of ways” but at this point the question was “hypothetical.”

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom