Plainclothes RCMP on Bowen Queen
Derek Kilbourn
derek@soundernews.com
Tuesday, March 9 2010
Two young persons were picked up by plainclothes RCMP this past week on the Bowen Queen as the boat was making a return trip to Gabriola - the two were seen smoking marijuana on board the vessel.
One of the subjects was a minor and was let go with no charges laid, the other, an adult, was not charged with any drug-related crimes, but had an outstanding warrant for failing to show up in court and was charged based on that.
Gabriola Detachment Commander Cpl. Brad Szewczok said this was part of an ongoing request to the Nanaimo plainclothes unit to occasionally patrol the ferry.
“As people, commuters, use the ferry every day, they see things.
“On more than one occasion during my tenure here in four years we’ve had complaints people are blatantly lighting up marijuana joints on the ferry.
“Any three of us working here in the Gabriola detachment, unless we’re in balaclavas, the people here [on Gabriola] know us. Everybody knows us by our first name, we’re part of the community.”
Brad explained the Gabriola RCMP have, “liased with Nanaimo Municipal Drugs and the Nanaimo detachment street crew and said when they have the ability, pop on the ferry and take a look.”
Last week, officers from the unit were on the Bowen. Brad said within minutes of being on the ferry, a couple of persons were spotted, “sparking up a joint or pipe, I’m not sure which it was.”
A minute amount of marijuana was found. One of the subjects was found to have had an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court.
Cst. Mike Reid from Gabriola RCMP was contacted and met the ferry on the Gabriola side.
Brad said, “That was the only arrest made, there are no drugs being made. The only charge was the one subject who was over 18 who had failed to appear in court on an ongoing investigation.
“The other kid, the amount of the marijuana was so small, there is no charge.”
Brad was asked if the plainclothes unit was doing random searches of students as part of their work on the ferry.
Brad said, “I can’t confirm it or disprove it. I’d have to liase with the Nanaimo street crew.
“In any search, there has to be reasonable cause. To stop youth of a certain age would be profiling and discriminatory and is not how the RCMP work.
“If you ask to search a bag for drugs and they say sure, that’s proper procedure. They can submit to the search or say no and keep walking. The denial is not enough to warrant suspicion.”
Cst. Gary O’Brien, media representative with the Nanaimo RCMP was contacted, but said he couldn’t comment without jeopardizing the investigative work of the undercover/plainclothes unit.
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