Blackbird Makes a Difference in Downtown Campbell River

On Vancouver Island, Blackbird Security’s Mobile Security Patrol team are playing a key role in keeping Downtown Campbell River safe.

Like many downtown cores across Canada, Campbell River had been dealing with increased anti-social behaviour in recent months. An unfortunate by-product of the COVID pandemic has been the hollowing out of our usually busy streets, creating a void filled by crime, loitering and graffiti. According to Heather Gordon Murphy, Campbell River BIA Chair, something needed to be done.

“There are no ‘boots-on-the-ground’ security in Campbell River at night. If things don’t shift and change, people will find different places to put their businesses, because it’s just too much work and extra expense to keep dealing with the problem.”

Enter Blackbird Security’s Mobile Patrol Service

At Blackbird Security, we realize the crucial role small businesses play in Canadian life. In fact, they are the backbone of our national economy. We’re proud to partner with municipalities across British Columbia to provide frontline support, mobile patrol security, and other professional security services.

Our Mobile Patrol Service is perfect for organizations such as Campbell River’s BIA. Guards embark on randomized foot patrols covering an area beyond the Downtown BIA, from Pier Street to the Campbell River Common Shopping Centre. Our guards track their progress using the innovative TrackTik technology, while also providing detailed reports of any incidents they encounter in the line of duty.

While our patrols are still in their infancy, the impacts have already been demonstrated to local businesses.

“I am getting support from businesses that have seen Blackbird do their job, but we’re still in the phase of getting more businesses on board,” Murphy explained.

“We need to start somewhere and have others see it working, then maybe we will be able to expand.”

Supporting Existing Law Enforcement Efforts in Campbell River

The RCMP in Campbell River are a highly respected and hard-working police force, but they can’t be everywhere at once. Our team fills this service need, augmenting the coverage provided by local law enforcement. We’re proud of our track record in providing frontline support. Sean Smith, Blackbird’s District Supervisor for North Vancouver Island, explains how we support their efforts:

“We see what the RCMP and the city don’t see, because they can’t be everywhere all the time. It also saves the RCMP having to deal with the smaller stuff – would we rather they be out responding to domestic violence, or to somebody who’s sleeping in an alcove where they should not be?

By documenting issues that are often otherwise unreported, Blackbird helps to ensure local crimes are recorded in Downtown Campbell River.

“The lack of that information getting to the RCMP, and thus not getting to the city, leaves them short on the resources that they need. If there’s an active problem, then that file is added to the list of files the inspector can take to council and say, ‘here are the issues downtown.’

“Having security downtown is about more than keeping businesses secure – that’s definitely a big part of it – but it’s more to keep the peace, whether it be amongst the people that are living on the street downtown, having to deal with new faces that can be a little more aggressive or help that interface between public and the homeless. Those are all positive outcomes for the town.”

Work with Blackbird Security

Blackbird Security is the security partner of choice for business associations and societies throughout Canada in cities such as Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Victoria, Duncan, Regina, Winnipeg and Toronto. If you’re interested in upgrading your security services, we’d love to hear from you. We offer the following range of services to clients across Canada:

"2018-04-02 Campbell River" by Darren_Kirby is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0”