Saint John tackles crime concerns with 2-year private security pilot

Saint John is launching a two-year security program to address resident and business concerns about crime and public safety. 

The program — called the Community Safety and Security Team — will bring private security guards to what city staff say are the city’s most crime-affected areas like the uptown core, Waterloo village and around local shelters.

“This is really about deterrence and a presence in those key service areas,” said Amy Poffenroth, the city's commissioner of Growth and Community Services, at a Tuesday morning announcement. 

Poffenroth said the guards won't have arrest or enforcement powers and will mostly be focused on de-escalation in non-emergency situations.

This team will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week with two guards per shift.

City officials say guards will be trained in narcan use, mental health awareness and trauma-informed practices. They will involve police, emergency or other services only when necessary. 

The guards will be provided by the security company GardaWorld. The program will start in early February and cost the city $780,000 per year. 

Pierre Castonguay said he's relieved to know his staff will have someone to call when they’re facing dangerous activity in his uptown store. 

“If we have a phone number, as a business owner, that you can call and that you have a quick response ... that's really important,” he said.

Castonguay and his partner Jenn Tuttle have dealt with criminal activity since shortly after they opened their shop, The Nest Yoga, on King Street in 2023. 

As a result, they've spent tens of thousands of dollars on extra security measures, including more staff and magnetic tags for all of their products. They were among a number of businesses who attended a town hall last year with the city police, looking for solutions to what, at the time, was a weekly problem. 

This prompted the city police to launch a quick-response foot patrol in March this year.

Businesses and the city’s Chamber of Commerce continued advocating for action on crime this year, saying the issue stems from homelessness, which has grown sharply in the city in recent years.

Poffenroth said the pilot is meant to compliment police patrols.