Houston RCMP officers are adopting a zero tolerance to drunks in public this year, says the RCMP detachment’s officer in charge.
And part of the strategy involved removing a bench outside of the Houston Mall, says Sergeant Jason Burndred.
“We received a lot of complaints about aggressive behaviour there,” he said. “People who were drinking there, being aggressive to others.”
Having the District of Houston remove the bench, an action it took last year, will hopefully eliminate a gathering place for public drinkers.
“For lack of a better word, people were having a beer blast there with absolutely no respect toward others.”
Drinking in public can result in a fine and failure to pay can find a person standing in front of a judge, the sergeant added.
But Burndred said officers will take a different approach to those they encounter in public places with either mental health or addictions issues.
“These are health issues. Our zero tolerance approach is targeted at aggressive behaviour,” he said.
The benches in the Houston Mall have also been removed. Houston Today asked the owners of the mall what the reasoning behind this was but they had not responded by press time.