CORNWALL, Ontario – Cornwall police are standing behind a decision to issue a ticket for panhandling in the city, saying the individual has been cited in the past for such infractions.
A Cornwall police officer ticketed an individual Tuesday just after the noon hour in a parking lot near the corner of Pitt and Ninth streets for contravening the Safe Streets Act.
A ticket for $50, plus a $15 surcharge, was issued to an unnamed individual.
Police later posted an image of the ticket to social media, with the tagline: “Have you been approached by a panhandler begging for money. We are trying to stop them.”
Police chief Dan Parkinson said in an interview the person cited with the ticket is no stranger to such infractions.
“We…have a couple of individuals, including this one, who has a history for committing this offence,” he said. “He has been warned and charged in the past. In this case we were responding to a call for service from an individual who felt threatened by the behavior of this offender.”
But there has been an outcry from members of the public via social media, some of whom are calling out the police for being too heavy-handed and suggesting that if a person is begging for money it is unlikely they will be able to cover the costs of a ticket.
“The person is begging for change in a parking lot/side of the road.. and your expecting them to pay a fine (sic)?” said one poster.
“They should be giving food instead of tickets,” said another.
The chief, though, defended the actions of the service and suggested the man who was ticketed is known to use the money he collects to purchase illegal drugs.
“Sometimes we have to attempt to amend behavior through enforcement methods,” he said. “We have offered this individual assistance in obtaining treatment for his drug addiction, including driving him to drug rehab, but he has refused our help.
“If violations continue, despite warnings and other efforts do not prove effective, this individual and others who are persistent offenders may be arrested and held in custody. We would prefer, of course, that this individual – and others – take advantage of the wonderful services offered by social/health agencies in order to change/amend their lifestyle.”
Parkinson is aware of the negative reaction from some corners.
“Without knowing all of the extenuating circumstances surrounding this offence (and) offender, I would expect some peoples’ perspective to have a negative tone,” he said. “We will, however, continue to attempt to ensure that all community safety issues in Cornwall are addressed effectively – and we will continually apply the law, if we have to, in order to achieve that purpose.”
There was support for the actions of police.
“Basically I think it is a form of harassment,” said one woman who was in favour of the practice. “A person should be allowed to go into a building without being asked for money. It is about feeling safe wherever you go.”
