Latest news with #loitering
ABC News
a day ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Loitering charge dropped against National Socialist Network member Thomas Sewell
A charge has been dropped against National Socialist Network member Thomas Sewell over a march through the Adelaide CBD on Australia Day. Mr Sewell, 32, appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday, via telephone, where a charge of loitering was dropped by the prosecution. The 32-year-old was among 17 members of a group that was arrested after the march on the Australia Day long weekend this year. He was also previously facing a charge of displaying a Nazi symbol — but that was dropped earlier this year. Defence counsel Matthew Hopkins for Mr Sewell told the court on Thursday that the charge his client had been facing was "appropriately described as selective enforcement" and that he had been part of a "peaceful assembly". "This prosecution is a political prosecution," he said. "The charges were for an improper purpose to disrupt their political activities." Mr Sewell also appeared in court for the first time on a charge of breaching of bail on May 16 at Hindmarsh in Adelaide's western suburbs. His defence counsel flagged with the court he would be requesting the prosecution to pay their legal fees in excess of $2,000. "We haven't had the opportunity to prepare an argument, and we have attempted to negotiate reasonably with the prosecution," he said. The matter will return to court in September for an argument on costs, while the breach of bail matter will return to court next month.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
Blakely police: Jessup man attempts break-in
A Jessup man caught on camera trying to break into a house in Blakely where he thought his girlfriend was cheating on him faces prowling and loitering charges. Mario Ortalano, 36, of 322 Second Ave., initially denied trying to enter the residence. When police told him he was on video, he changed his story, according to a criminal complaint. He told police he had been tracking his girlfriend's cellphone and believed she was at the residence. According to the criminal complaint: Blakely police responded to a house in the 400 block of Travis Alley at about 10:30 p.m. on Sunday. Two people who lived at the house told police they checked their cameras after their dogs began barking. They saw a man walking around their house and pulling on doors. The footage they provided to police showed a man with a dark beard wearing a tank top and a hat first pulling on the basement door, then the front door, and walking around the property. Police then responded to a convenience store near the residence, where witnesses reported a man attempting to abduct a 16-year-old girl. Witnesses said a man, later identified as Ortalano, had been there and was acting strangely. Police went to Ortalano's address and found him outside in the same clothing as the man in the surveillance footage. Ortalano told officers he approached a young girl at the convenience store because he thought she was his girlfriend, who told him she was going there to get gas. Officers asked him why he had been walking around the Travis Alley residence and pulling on the doors. When he denied going to the residence, officers told him he had been caught on camera. Officers arrested Ortalano and noted he seemed to be under the influence of narcotics. They searched his vehicle and found a pen used as a snorting straw with white powdery residue inside. They also found two glass pipes with a burnt, white powdery residue and a small silver container with suspected methamphetamine. Ortalano told police the meth was from months ago and he hadn't used drugs for several months. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Aug. 6 before District Judge Laura Turlip.
CTV News
02-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Orillia business owners push for more patrols to address safety concerns downtown
As Orillia's downtown gears up for summer crowds, business owners and residents are raising concerns about loitering, drug use, and property crime, and they're calling for more police patrols to keep the area safe. 'The downtown is like a community hub," said Jillian Lassaline, owner of Jillian's Bakery. 'People come here on weekends, people come from out of town, [and] we just want everyone to be safe.' With increased foot traffic and visitors to the Sunshine City during the warmer months, the Downtown BIA hopes to address those concerns, including what types of incidents warrant emergency calls to 911, and how police patrols are managed. 'They'd like to see more patrols for sure, and I know the OPP has already started that,' said Deron Johnston, Downtown Orillia BIA executive director. According to the OPP, officers logged 183 hours of foot patrol downtown over an 11-day stretch in mid-April, and the service said it's looking at options to further increase its presence moving forward. Orillia City Councillor Ralph Cipolla, who is also chair of the police services board, said shoplifting and loitering are among the most common complaints, adding he's exploring the idea of a community safety committee to help tackle the issues. 'Our police budget right now is about $9 million, and we've got to look at that as well,' he said. 'They are short-staffed and they do an excellent job with what they have.' Mayor Don McIsaac emphasized the need for collaboration. 'This is a community issue, and I think jointly working together we can solve it. Words are easy - it's the actions that are hard. People have to take account of what's going on and be determined to work for the correct solution to make it work.' OPP Insp. Jeff Dixon said he values the feedback from the community and plans to meet with the mayor to discuss new strategies that better serve both the city and police.
CBC
19-06-2025
- CBC
STM revives loitering ban in Montreal Metro to help improve safety
Social Sharing Montreal's transit agency announced Wednesday it is reintroducing a ban on loitering in the city's Metro system to increase safety for commuters and employees. The measure starts Wednesday and will be in place until April 30, 2026. The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) said the decision to bring it back was made following positive results of a six-week pilot project in early spring. At the time, the STM cited increased safety concerns in the Metro linked to rising homelessness, criminal activity and public drug use. "Why we're coming back with that move-along order is because it works. It works for our clients, for our employees." said Éric Alan Caldwell, the STM's board chair, at a news conference on Wednesday. Decrease in crime during pilot project, STM says The STM provided data in a news release showing improvements in safety for the month of April, compared to the same month last year. Crime and offences were down two per cent, while assaults on employees dropped 20 per cent. The STM also noted 30 per cent fewer service disruptions and 17 per cent fewer people being escorted out of the Metro at closing time. Meanwhile, the STM has said that addressing safety concerns has come at a cost, with $11 million invested to hire more staff, such as special constables who are trained to help direct people to the proper resources when leaving the Metro. There's also a hidden cost in lost revenue, as people cancel trips because they feel unsafe. The STM estimates that number could be as high as $1.2 million per month. Caldwell said, however, that by improving security, the STM can refocus on its primary mission, which is to provide safe and reliable public transit. Groups working with unhoused people in Montreal said they understand the situation, but the measures don't really solve the problem. Better solutions needed In a news release, the Réseau d'aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal (RAPSIM), said the ban is exacerbating the situation for many vulnerable people because it's being implemented amid a housing crisis and at a time when community organizations are overwhelmed. While RAPSIM said that Metro users' perceived sense of security may have improved during the pilot project, the safety of people experiencing homelessness has been compromised. "Several outreach workers reported losing contact with people with whom they had established a relationship of trust," said RAPSIM director Annie Savage. RAPSIM added that women are especially impacted by the ban, as they often try to conceal their situation and seek out crowded places, like the Metro, for safety reasons. "These spaces offer them relative protection from harassment, intimidation, theft and street violence, to which they are particularly exposed," the release reads. Caldwell acknowledged that the ban on loitering wasn't a "magic solution," and that community organizations and the health network need more resources. Over the course of the next year, the STM will continue to collect data on the impacts of the ban. Caldwell said he believes it will help highlight the needs of its different partners and how to better answer those needs. He reiterated, however, that the Metro can't be a shelter. "We will intervene and we will offer to the people that we are asking to move along if they need help, if they need to get to specific resources and how can we help them get there," Caldwell said. "We will often organize transport so that they get there." RAPSIM, however, is urging the STM to consider alternative solutions and pointed to a project in Philadelphia where a subway station was transformed into drop-in centre for people experiencing homelessness. "This type of approach helps raise public awareness and create inclusive spaces. Rather than displacing homeless people outside, we offer them a local response that facilitates their recovery," Savage said.
CTV News
18-06-2025
- CTV News
Anti-loitering order back in effect in Montreal's metro
Cyclists can now bring their bikes on REM trains until July 4, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press) Loitering is once again banned from Montreal's metro network, and the 'move-along' order will be in place until the end of April 2026, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) announced Wednesday. The STM said the measures, which were in place for six weeks in the spring, yielded positive results regarding safety and maintenance. But advocates for the homeless population say it could harm those who have nowhere else to go. The rules 'led to a noticeable increase in the sense of safety among both customers and employees, as well as a reduction in service interruptions caused by disruptive behaviour,' said Éric Alan Caldwell, chair of the STM board of directors in a news release. He said that reimplementing the measures in the summer will give the city time to plan for the winter months when some homeless people take refuge from the cold in metro stations. 'We recognize, however, that this is not an ideal solution. The real solution will be a tangible and sustainable response to help the vulnerable, including more funding for resources, all year long,' said Caldwell. The STM said 'physical measures,' mainly partitioning off access to certain areas and making open spaces smaller, will be in place at eight stations: Charlevoix Peel Places-des-Arts Beaudry Pie-IX Bonaventure Place-d'Armes Côte-Vertu The STM's anti-loitering rules were implemented mid-March after a reported surge in service interruptions and criminal behaviour, including drug use, that led to some customers feeling less safe in the metro. During the six-week period when the anti-loitering order was in effect from March to April, crimes and offences went down by two per cent, people being escorted out at closing time went down by 17 per cent, there was a 30 per cent reduction in service disruptions, and the reported sense of safety went up by eight points (all compared to April 2024), according to the STM's report. Impact on homeless population By bringing back and extending the move-along order, the STM wants to collect more data on the impact of anti-loitering orders on its operations and 'maintain stability' and hygiene standards. Advocates for Montreal's homeless population say they are worried the measure will only increase their vulnerability. The Réseau d'aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal (RAPSIM)'s director, Annie Savage, said intervention workers reported losing contact with people with whom they had built a trusting relationship. 'In the long term, these measures undermine essential prevention and support efforts carried out by the community, contributing to increased vulnerability and need among people experiencing homelessness,' she said in a statement. The RAPSIM said women will be the most impacted by the STM's order, since many of them hide in the metro to conceal their homelessness and feel safer in busy areas. 'These spaces offer them relative protection from harassment, intimidation, theft and street violence, to which they are particularly exposed,' they said. The STM has said it wants to refer homeless people who spend time in the metro network to appropriate resources, like Mission St. Michaels. But RAPSIM says those are stretched thin and are often overflowing which means people will simply be displaced. Savage says the STM is losing an opportunity to put its resources toward inclusive resources by instead using a chunk of its budget to increase surveillance and security. She pointed to an initiative in Philadelphia, which turned a metro station into a shelter where people can rest, have coffee, do their laundry and receive essential care. The STM stressed that the move-along order will not be applied systematically and its special constables will take several factors into consideration during interventions to avoid tension. In its report, the STM requested Montreal open 24/7 high-threshold resources near Berri-UQAM and Bonaventure stations, increase funding for Mission St. Michaels services and ensure emergency accommodations from early November to late April 'for more sustainable solutions.'
