Council to consider plan to stop aggressive panhandling

The Edmonton Police Commission wants city council tochange Edmonton's public places bylaw to crack down on aggressive panhandling.

The commission has proposed an amendment to city council that would make it illegal for anyone to panhandle in an aggressive manner that includes making continual requests, insulting, threatening, coercing, obstructing passage or making physical contact with another person.

According to police statistics, there were 181 acts of aggressive panhandling in Edmonton last year, with 81 of them taking place downtown.

No bylaws exist to specifically ban this practice and that needs to change, police commission chairman Brian Gibson said.

"What we are receiving at the police service are a number of complaints," Gibson said.

"Women coming to work in the morning or going home at night and being aggressively pursued for monetary contribution to these individuals and they are feeling very unsafe on the streets."

Proposed $250 fine

Under the current bylaws, peace officers need to specifically prove how the panhandler's actions were impeding the flow of people on the street in order to issue a violation ticket.

The commission is proposing a fine of $250, but there will be options for people who can't afford to pay it.

"There has to be another option you're going to clog courts up with people that can't pay the fine anyway," Gibson said.

"So we have to have an option to be able to say, what sort of other activity can we pursue with them to try to alleviate their aggressiveness or to help them so they don't have to pay."

Edmonton police officers would still continue their practice of warning and helping people who are "truly disadvantaged," the commission's report said.

The commission is also proposing the city launch a campaign to encourage the public not to give money to panhandlers.

Edmonton city councillors will discuss the proposed bylaw change at a community services committee meeting on Monday.