RCMP Track Street Workers in Nanaimo

April 16, 2010

Danielle Bell reports for the Nanaimo Daily News, 15 Apr 2010:

http://www.canada.com/Dispatcher+list+tracks+prostitutes/2909742/story.html

Nanaimo police and dispatchers are quietly tracking the city's street prostitutes to ensure that none go missing without anyone noticing.

In the 911 centre, housed at the Nanaimo RCMP detachment, there is a massive binder -- dubbed the Bible by dispatchers -- that contains contact numbers for every type of call, from bait cars to the bomb squad. It also contains a long list of known street sex-trade workers. Police and dispatchers use the list to informally track the welfare of some of the city's most at-risk women and men.

The list, and police observation, is welcomed by many prostitutes and street workers, who want to work more closely with the RCMP.

Police say they have kept a list for years, but its use became more important following the investigation of Port Coquitlam pig farmer Robert Pickton, who was convicted in 2007 of killing six prostitutes.

In that investigation police were harshly criticized in some quarters for failing to diligently investigate the disappearances of women from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Nanaimo police say the list is more of an ongoing safeguard for the sex-trade workers and that it is an enforcement tool for officers. It contains names or aliases and health conditions, such as HIV infections. It also helps track bad johns.

Over the years, the list has grown from a dozen names to roughly 100.

While many prostitutes are in town only briefly and soon move on, others are a permanent fixture downtown.

"I think it's a very important piece for us to be cognizant of who's in the street sex trade," said Nanaimo RCMP Cpl. Dave Laberge, head of the bike unit. "Not just for criminality (but) really as a public safety piece for them."

Women support workers agree. Nanaimo Women's Centre executive director Leslie Clark wants to see more collaboration between all resource groups, government agencies and the RCMP.

"If the police are keeping tabs and they are looking out for the well-being of the women, then that's great.

"We would certainly like to be working more closely with them," she said.

"We all know that women aren't safe and things are only going to change when people are working together."

Street prostitution is dangerous, admit the city's sex-trade workers. There are stories of women who were beaten, threatened or stalked by bad johns.

Tabitha O'Brien is a familiar face to officers with the drug and bike squads. The 30-year-old has been on the streets in Nanaimo for 17 years.

"You think you want your police to be trying to keep an eye out so nobody's getting hurt, no matter who they are," said O'Brien on Wednesday.

"If I'm not on the street one day, within 24 hours the police are already rolling out (to look for me)."

News travels even faster on the street grapevine.

"I care about these girls," said heroin addict Lacey Rose, 23.

"I always take a mental note. We will keep an eye on each other."

Shelby Fletcher has been turning tricks for six months. Addicted to crack cocaine, the 19-year-old performs sexual acts for as little as $40 but claims to have earned as much as $1,200 in one three-hour date.

She has been in several bad situations but doesn't like to discuss them.

Fletcher is one of as many as 30 sex trade workers who regularly stroll Nanaimo streets. The street sex trade here has ebbed and flowed over the years but in the last year police say it has been quieter.

Checking the list, and the people on the street, is a way for authorities to protect the welfare of the community's most marginalized members

"We have some you deal with several times a day," said Nanaimo 911 dispatcher Steve Brimble.

"For us, it's more of a nice-to-know than a need-to-know."