Constable Chad Neustaeter, Media Relations Officer for Fort St. John RCMP, says it would be appropriate to describe what was actually occurring. He says this same individual has been arrested for Mischief, Loss of Enjoyment to Property after the property owner reported the individual for busking, panhandling and making customers feel uncomfortable in late September.
The business owner knew the man had a court condition not to attend the property, and knowing the individual was breaching conditions of his release, called police.
“In this instance, a new frontline police officer to Fort St John was given the opportunity to work through the investigation process and was conducting police checks to determine if there were in fact conditions and what those conditions were in order to make an educated decision that was in everyone’s best interest,” said Neustaeter.
The author of the social media post asked the question ‘what are we paying them for?’ Neustaeter says officers were conducting a full investigation on behalf of the complainant.
“During the investigation, the man was apologetic to police. The lead investigating officer exercised discretion and released the man who said he would leave. The business was updated accordingly and were satisfied with the actions of police.”
Neustaeter says there is often more than meets the eye of the public when it comes to policing.
“In this case, the public also did not get a chance to see the conclusion when the man walked away and the business owner was satisfied.”
