Prince George City Council will hear a report on defensive tools for the City’s Bylaw Officers at Wednesday’s meeting.
Bylaw Officers started carrying the tools last year, including a defensive baton, pepper spray, and a set of handcuffs.
Prior to these tools being issued, the only protective equipment typically issued to Bylaw Officers in Prince George was a protective vest.
“As a result of, what management considers to be, proper training and equipment, these employees have relayed that they feel more confident and better prepared to handle their daily duties in a safe manner,” the report reads.
“Some employees have gone so far as to say that they would no longer feel comfortable doing the job without these tools and wished they had received them sooner.”
The report noted there has not been an instance since the tools were introduced that the defensive tools have been deployed.
“With that said, the importance of possessing these tools and providing protective vests as well as appropriate training to all employees in Bylaw Services is viewed as an important step in protecting staff and giving them the tools necessary to deal with the potential breadth of situations they may encounter at work,” the report continues.
City Administration intends to formalize a requirement that all current and future Bylaw Enforcement Officers, including Animal Control and Parking Control officers, receive and complete theoretical and practical training as standard level for all officers in order to be issued defensive force options.
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