Growing concerns around public drunkenness in Flin Flon stem from relatively few offenders, according to the Flin Flon RCMP.
Cpl. Stacy Wiens says eight to 10 residents are responsible for most disturbance-related calls involving intoxication.
“At certain times, a repeat offender can be lodged three to four days in a row,” he says. “I can recall that one offender was released from custody in the morning and was arrested about three hours later for being intoxicated.”
Wiens says officers are doing what they can to address the problem, including a downtown strategy implemented by Sgt. Shayne Smith.
The strategy involves foot patrols on Main Street, resulting in many intoxicated people being removed from the street before complaints are made, Wiens says.
“Foot patrols as well as vehicle patrols are made at high traffic times when many of the complaints have been made,” he says, adding that removing intoxicated people from the street can and has prevented many person and property crimes.
But some in the public liken the police response to public drunkenness to a revolving door and wonder why individuals are allowed to offend time and time again.
The truth is that due to current laws and the reluctance of people to press charges in cases involving drunk people, offenders usually receive, at most, a night in a cell and a talking to from police.
If the RCMP receive a complaint about an intoxicated person, they can arrest him or her under the Criminal Code for causing a disturbance by being drunk in a public place.
Charges can be laid if the complainant wishes to do so, but Wiens says most times the complainant simply wants the offending individual off the street.
If police observe a drunk person without receiving a complaint, the offender can be taken into custody under provincial law but can only be charged if he or she has open liquor in a public place.
If offenders are not overly intoxicated and know a sober adult willing to take them in for the night, police attempt to arrange those
accommodations.
“This doesn’t always happen, in which case the offender is lodged until sober,” says Wiens.
When the offenders are released, officers speak to them about their alcohol use, but Wiens says it is ultimately up to them to accept help to deal with what is often an addiction.
Officers approaching intoxicated individuals consider first and foremost the safety of the public and the intoxicated person, he says.
“Most recently, I observed an intoxicated male walking on Third Avenue and in the blink of an eye he cut across Third Avenue right in front of a vehicle,” Wiens says. “Thank goodness the vehicle was able to stop and prevent a serious collision that could have resulted in a fatality. This incident shows just how quick an intoxicated person can go from a relatively safe situation to a very dangerous one.”
While some residents chalk up public drunkenness to Flin Flon’s homelessness problem, Wiens says only three of the eight to 10 frequent offenders lack a place to live.
Some residents have suggested the solution to public drunkenness lies in opening a detox centre or homeless shelter, but nobody has approached the RCMP with those ideas.
“But [we] would definitely provide input if such an undertaking would be taken by the City of Flin Flon or any community-based groups,” says Wiens.
In rare cases, officers respond to individuals who are severely under the influence of substances other than alcohol, namely gasoline, mouthwash and hairspray. They can also be arrested.
“I have observed only three gas-sniffing incidents in three years of service in Flin Flon,” says Wiens. “In a low percentage of incidents, mouthwash or hairspray is involved, with the majority of incidents being attributed to alcohol.”
