Winnipeg Transit safety officers get fist bumps from operators, thanks from riders, supervisor says

Winnipeg Transit's new community safety officers found a person face down in the snow near Portage Place and "brought that person back to life," duringtheir first month on the job, their boss says.

"If they hadn't come across that person, that life wouldn't have been saved," community safety team lead Bob Chrismas said.

Chrismas and safety team supervisors Christine Welsh and Sean Berman held a news conference on Monday to allow media to ask them about their first month on the job.The team was hired and started work in February as a response to concerns about violence on Winnipeg Transit vehicles.

The officers, dressed in bright yellow and black, patrol streets and ride Winnipeg Transit buses, as well as respond to calls for help from transit drivers.

There aren't any statistics available yet to put numbers to the work they're doing, although they are working on establishing benchmarks so they can do performance measurements, Chrismas said. He expects statistics from the first month of work willbe available in the next week.

However, he cited examples such as the incident near Portage Place as indicators of the work they're doingand how various agencies are working together, as in that case, police secured the scene before fire-paramedics arrived to provide further care.

Bus disruptions

The team is also working with social service agenciesto get people who cause disruptions on buses connected to organizations that can help them.

Welsh, who used to work with the Winnipeg Police Service as a supervisor of the cadet unit, said a more typical situation is a call to deal with "a sleeper on the bus."

Typically,operators, who aren't required to wake sleeping passengers, call in a transit supervisor to deal with the situation, Welsh said.

"When the inspectors come to deal with them, oftentimes they become violent or disruptive to the bus in general and the passengers," she said.

The safety officers are trained to de-escalate the situation, get the rider off the bus and then try to help the person find needed resources.

"These members have been wonderful at meeting these people where they're at," Welsh said.

"They're readily able to provide these people with resources that they need, depending on their circumstances even if it's just a safe ride" to a shelter like Siloam Mission or the Main Street Project.

Welsh said with her experience, there's not much in the job that can surprise her the biggest surprise, for her, has been the way the team has tackled the job.

"The genuine care that the officers have shown has resulted in people, actually both men and women, breaking down in tears and sharing their life story, which you know, people don't do that unless they know someone actually cares."

The team currently has two supervisors and 21 members, with two currently working in the Winnipeg Transit dispatch centre. Chrismas said whether they should get more funding isn't up to him, but they could certainly find work for more people.

"If you were to ask the general public, I think that is a resounding yes," Welsh said.

Transit drivers are fist-bumping safety officers and riders are thanking them for their presence, she said.

Kenneth Woodrow, who was waiting for a bus downtown on Monday, said they are needed.

"There's too many violent people. Winnipeg is turning very violent," he said.

Vishva Shah, another downtown rider, said she feels safe during the day, but it's different at night.

Anmolgit Singh Brar said he appreciates Winnipeg Transit and he doesn't think having safety officers is important, although they do provide extra safety.

"It's quite safe, I think," he said about the transit system.

Winnipeg Transit's new community safety officers seeing positive impact

6 months ago

Duration 2:14

Winnipeg Transit's new community safety officers found a person face down in the snow near Portage Place and "brought that person back to life," during their first month on the job, their boss says.