South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service
| South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service | |
| Common name | Transit Police Service |
| Abbreviation | SCBCTAPS |
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| Heraldic badge of the SCBCTAPS | |
| Motto | Safely Linking Communities |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | December 4, 2005 |
| Employees | 231 |
| Annual budget | $28.38 million CDN[1] |
| Legal personality | Non government: South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | Regional District of Metro Vancouver in the province of British Columbia, Canada |
| Governing body | South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service Board |
| Constituting instruments | |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | 307 Columbia Street, New Westminster |
| Police Constables | 169[1] |
| Civilians | 62 |
| Elected officer responsible | The Honourable Shirley Bond, Minister of Justice and Attorney General |
| Agency executive | Neil Dubord, Chief Officer |
| Website | |
| http://www.transitpolice.bc.ca/ | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. Note: Peter W. Webster[2] is the Chair of the Transit Police Board. Unlike other similar organization, he is not elected into position. |
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The South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service (SCBCTAPS) (commonly referred to as Transit Police Service, formerly Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Police Service) is the police force for TransLink, the public transit system of the Metro Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada. Formed in December 2005, the SCBCTAPS is the only urban public transit police force in Canada who are police officers with full peace officers status and armed on duty. SCBCTAPS is a supplementary police agency with the jurisdictional police agency retaining primary responsibility for policing in each jurisdiction they serve.
SCBCTAPS Officers can enforce all Criminal Code of Canada infractions in British Columbia, however, they focus their efforts primarily on protecting the safety and security of passengers, employees and property of Metro Vancouver's transit system, operated by TransLink.
SCBCTAPS partners with local municipal police forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in enforcing laws in the Metro Vancouver region. If requested, SCBCTAPS officers will also respond to emergencies outside of TransLink properties as would other municipal police forces.
The name change was made pursuant to the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Amendment Act 2007, effective November 30, 2007. However, references to SCBCTAPS as GVTAPS will continue to have legal effect.[3]
Contents |
[edit] History
TransLink had police forces in the Lower Mainland patrolling Skytrain stations. In 1993, the then BC Transit introduced security officers hired from a private firm to enforce fare payments. This force consisted of 20 SkyTrain attendants and eight Special Provincial Constables. Before December 2005 special constables were only allowed to enforce transit related law. The constables were able to arrest individuals committing criminal offenses only on TransLink (formerly BC Transit) property. Special Constables did not carry firearms.
On December 4, 2005,[4] the GVTAPS was launched, consisting of armed officers with full peace officer powers. This added the ability for GVTAPS officers to pursue suspects fleeing from TransLink property.
On November 30, 2007, Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Police Service was renamed as South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service pursuant to the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Amendment Act 2007, which extended the scope of service of TransLink from Metro Vancouver region to further East of the province.
[edit] Organization
The South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Board (SCBCTA Police Board) is responsible for the governance and oversight of the SCBCTAPS. The Board is responsible for appointing officers, including the Chief Officer and Deputy Chief Officer, approving finances and the budget and establishing policy. Unlike other BC municipal police forces, the Police Board only has appointed members and does not have any democractically elected member (whereas Mayors in other police boards acts as the chair).[5]
As of August 2010, the SCBCTAPS force had 169 officers[6] with an average of 18 years of experience.[7] The most senior officer is George Beattie, Acting Chief Officer of the SCBCTAPS. The SCBCTAPS reports to the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Board.
[edit] Community Policing
SCBCTAPS entered into an agreement with Collingwood Community Policing Centre, a Vancouver Police Department CPC, to also serve in public education for SCBCTAPS.[8]
[edit] Use of Tasers
News reports[9] in April 2008 alleged the misuse of Tasers by SCBCTAPS officers. It was reported that officers tasered offenders for the mispayment of transit fares. The B.C. Civil Liberties Association has filed a complaint against the police for use of Tasers but police deny that the weapons were used for fare mispayment and defend their use of Tasers.[10] Transit police have used Tasers 10 times between January 2007 and April 2008.[10] Following the Robert Dziekański Taser incident involving Richmond RCMP members, the hazards of the Taser use have received wide public attention in Vancouver. A 2010 inquiry found that the incidents of taser usage by the Transit Police were legally justified, given the offenders were actively resisting or assaultive toward police during an investigation.
[edit] See also
- South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority
- Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia
- E-Comm
- Transportation in Vancouver
- BART Police
[edit] References
- ^ a b 2010 Community Report
- ^ South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service has new Police Board Chair
- ^ Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Amendment Act 2007 Final version of the Act
- ^ "New Transit Police on the Job". British Columbia government web site. http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2005-2009/2005PSSG0049-001133.htm. Retrieved 2006-11-16.
- ^ SCBCTAPS Police Board
- ^ "Strategic Plan 2007-2011 Brochure". SCBCTAPS. Archived from the original on 2007-12-21. http://web.archive.org/web/20071221011921/http://www.gvtaps.bc.ca/pdf/GVTAPS_Strat_Plan_2007.pdf. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
- ^ "Backgrounder". GVTAPS.bc.ca. Archived from the original on 2006-10-20. http://web.archive.org/web/20061020034439/http://www.gvtaps.bc.ca/pdf/backgrounder.pdf. Retrieved 2006-11-16.
- ^ Community Policing
- ^ "B.C. transit police stun fare cheaters with Taser". CBC News. 2008-04-16. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/04/15/bc-transit-police-taser.html. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ a b "No change to TransLink taser use: police". CBC News. 2008-04-18. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/04/18/bc-taser-civil-liberties-complaint.html?ref=rss. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
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