SkyTrain cops to carry guns

SkyTrain Police will soon be carrying a little more authority with them on transit lines.

Until now, the 82 officers who patrol the SkyTrain lines have had to rely on police back-up to help keep transit safe. But that's about to change. Translink has announced that SkyTrain police officers will carry guns.

Bob Kind, chief officer of the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Police Service says there is widespread support for the idea.

"It's come from the public, it's come from the government, it's come from TransLink," he says. "It's something that's required, a secure and safe system has always been a priority with TransLink."

Kind says all but 15 of the 82 SkyTrain police are ex-police officers, and those 15 will go through training at the Justice Institute before being authorized to carry a gun while on duty. The remaining staff will have their skills re-evaluated.

• LINK: SkyTrain Safety and Security

Kind says while transit officers will have guns, they will not be replacing the police.

"The key thing you have to remember is that we are a supplementary police unit," Kind explains. "We are not a full police department."

He says that the transit force works closely with municipal police forces, but those forces still have full responsibility in their jurisdictions.

The transit authority says SkyTrain police face dangers just like any other officer, so there is no reason why they shouldn't be authorized to carry weapons.

• FROM APRIL 13, 2004: More power for SkyTrain cops