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Community safety officer pilot announced in Moncton

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Moncton is getting a new group of community safety officers as part of a pilot program announced by the city and provincial government.

The initiative will see municipal bylaw enforcement officers appointed as special constables under the Police Act.

The New Brunswick government says the program aims to address growing public safety pressures while easing demands on the Codiac Regional RCMP.

Public Safety Minister Robert Gauvin said police officers are increasingly being called to high-risk incidents and criminal investigations.

“We know that Codiac Regional RCMP face increasing demand for service, and police resources are often dispatched to high-risk incidents and criminal investigations,” Gauvin said.

“We have been working closely with the City of Moncton to ensure certain public safety concerns receive more attention, and we are pleased to help them get this program rolling.”

Community safety officers will engage with the public, conduct safety patrols, respond to encampments, enforce trespassing laws, provide public education, resolve conflicts, refer individuals to social services, and uphold specific provincial statutes and municipal bylaws.

The officers will not replace police officers and will not be responsible for criminal investigations or emergency response, according to a government release.

Moncton Mayor Shawn Crossman said the city has been advocating for the special constable designation and is eager to see the program move forward.

“This special constable designation is something we have been advocating for, and we are eager to see this service put in place,” Crossman said.

“Public safety is council’s number one priority, and this initiative represents a real investment in creating a safer and more secure community for residents, businesses and visitors alike.”

Officers designated as special constables will be required to complete extensive training, including the Atlantic Police Academy special constable program, use-of-force certification, crisis intervention training, and instruction related to powers of arrest and detention.

Under the pilot program, the city will be responsible for hiring and training officers, operating the service and developing a liaison model with the Codiac Regional RCMP.

The Department of Justice and Public Safety will provide oversight through regular check-ins and audits.

The community safety officer program is expected to be operational early next year.

Once established, the service will be accessible through the city’s bylaw enforcement line.

Benn Purinton - sj council

Saint John security pilot shows early success

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A recent update on Saint John’s community safety team shows the pilot project is easing pressure on police resources.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, the team provided a two‑month update on its work.

During the presentation, Benn Purinton, the city’s manager of community standards compliance, said data collected so far suggests the pilot is proving successful.

“We’re still very much in the early phase of this pilot program,” Purinton said. “But in the first seven weeks we are reporting on, the service is functioning as intended and is providing practical value within the service area.”

In December, the city announced the launch of a community safety team pilot program and a community resilience fund in response to concerns about safety and disorder in Waterloo Village, uptown Saint John and the Thorne Avenue–Rothesay Avenue corridor.

GardaWorld was awarded a $780,000 annual contract to provide a 24/7, non‑police presence to patrol those areas and respond to non‑emergency issues. The team began work on Feb. 2.

Related: Community Safety and Security team ready to launch in Saint John

Related: Saint John councillor calls for regular reports from community safety team

During that period, Purinton said the team responded to 69 service calls, completed 93 public assists, conducted 109 wellness checks in public spaces, returned 39 shopping carts and collected 216 sharps.

He said the team maintained an average response time of under five minutes for service calls.

Of the 69 service calls and 109 wellness checks, only nine incidents were escalated to police and 911, Purinton said.

He said the low escalation rate shows most situations are being handled without police involvement, fulfilling one of the team’s “core objectives.”

“It indicates that a visible presence and a voluntary‑compliance‑first approach can resolve many lower‑level concerns effectively, while supporting police capacity to focus on higher‑priority issues,” Purinton said.

Beyond the numbers, he added the team has received positive feedback from the community.

“We consistently hear that people are happy with the service and glad to have the team around,” he said.

Team looking to increase awareness of the service

Purinton said winter conditions posed some challenges, as extended periods of snow, cold and freezing rain reduced foot traffic and activity in public spaces. Despite that, he said the team has demonstrated “steady use and visible value.”

As the weather improves, Purinton expects demand for the service to increase, adding that early signs of that trend have already appeared in recent weeks.

He said the next step is to increase awareness of the service within the pilot area through targeted mail‑outs to residents, businesses and institutions.

The goal is to help the public better understand what the service provides, when to use it and how to contact the team, he said.

Purinton added the city is also looking to improve data collection to provide more detailed service information, including heat mapping, activity trends and call‑time types.

Possible expansion of patrol areas

During the question period, Coun. Paula Radwan asked whether there were plans to expand the pilot to include Saint John’s North End, citing a recent uptick in activity in that area.

Mayor Donna Reardon said an expansion is not off the table but added it would be best to complete the pilot before making any decisions.

She said the next council will decide whether to continue or expand the program and whether there are opportunities to work with other security providers operating in the city.

“There’s all kinds of possibilities with this, but first we need to understand if we’re getting value for the taxpayers’ money,” Reardon said.

More in‑depth report coming

During the meeting, the motion by Coun. Greg Norton to have the team report at all public safety committee meetings passed without objection.

Norton proposed the notice of motion in March 23 council meeting.

In an interview with Acadia Broadcasting on March 25, Norton said to justify the use of taxpayer dollars, it was necessary for council to receive regular reports of the services provided by the team.

Purinton said the team is going to present a more in-depth 90-day update at the next public safety committee meeting at the end of April.

Greg Norton

Saint John councillor calls for regular reports from community safety team

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A Saint John councillor is calling for regular reports from the city’s new community safety team.

During Monday’s city council meeting, Greg Norton proposed a notice of motion requesting that the team report to council. Norton said the idea came from his role on the Saint John Police Board of Commissioners.

He said that council receives monthly police reports detailing community work, which helps members understand budget pressures and identify areas for improvement. Because the community safety team performs similar functions, Norton said comparable data is needed to justify the use of taxpayer dollars.

“It’s important to understand what they are exactly doing, and looking for those data sets is part of the conversation,” he said.

The city announced the pilot community safety services team in December in response to concerns about safety and disorder in Waterloo Village, uptown Saint John, and the Thorne Avenue–Rothesay Avenue corridor.

GardaWorld was awarded a $780,000 annual contract to provide a 24/7, non-police presence to patrol those areas and respond to non‑emergency issues. The team began work in February.

Norton said anecdotal feedback suggests the service is benefiting the community but emphasized the need to measure its effectiveness and determine the appropriate scale of the program.

“Sizing the service can only be done when we have the data to support that discussion,” he said, adding that detailed reporting would help assess whether the pilot is a good use of public funds.

According to an email statement from the city, the community safety team falls under the Growth and Community Services department of the City of Saint John and reports to the Community Standards Compliance team.

However, Norton believes the team is better suited to report to the council, particularly the Public Safety Committee.

“Voters elect us to be stewards of the dollars that we spend, and so it’s important that they speak to us and report directly to us, as we represent the public,” he said.

In a separate email statement Wednesday, city of Saint John spokesperson Lisa Kennedy clarified that the team is already scheduled to present at the next Public Safety Committee meeting.