Violent crime rates rise around HSC

A 27-year-old man is facing weapons charges after he pointed a gun at people outside the Health Sciences Centre (HSC) in Winnipeg on Tuesday morning.

According to the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS), officers responded to the 800 block of Sherbrook Street at approximately 5:45 a.m. after being contacted by HSC security and a facility safety officer (ISO). Officers located the male suspect, who was carrying an SKS semi-automatic rifle, and arrested him without incident.

According to police, no firearm was used in the incident and there were no injuries.

It is the latest incident surrounding the Health Sciences Centre involving the Manitoba Nurses Union (MNU).

On Wednesday, the MNU demanded action via social media against the increasing crime in the West Alexander district.

According to WPS CrimeMaps, an online portal for crime statistics, there were 188 violent crimes reported in and around HSC in March of this year. That’s a 79 percent increase from the 105 incidents reported in March 2023.

“We have a lot of concerns about the safety of that area, and not just the safety of nurses or healthcare workers, but the safety of patients, visitors and families,” MNU President Darlene Jackson told CTV News on Wednesday. “If it’s an unsafe area, it’s unsafe for everyone.”

Jackson pointed to an incident where a nurse was attacked when she entered the facility, but said there are many other issues at play, including vandalism and break-ins into vehicles in HSC parking garages.

“I know of many cases where nurses have said they felt unsafe or witnessed a violent act… you know, just walking through the parking garage.”

According to Jackson, the MNU wants more safety measures to be taken to protect people who work in or visit healthcare facilities.

Institutional security officers began patrolling the Health Sciences Centre in April. The ISOs have the authority to arrest and detain people who pose a threat to staff, patients and visitors. Jackson said their presence at HSC is long overdue, but said the number of ISOs hired is inadequate.

“(HSC) is a huge campus and they need to be more grounded in security,” Jackson said.

Jackson noted that the city and county have invested time and money in recent months to address shoplifting and retail theft, and she wants to see the same focus on hospital environments.

“Why aren’t those resources being put into our health care facilities, where violence is clearly increasing?” Jackson asked. “You only have to look at our Facebook or Instagram post and look at the comments, because nurses are saying, ‘This isn’t rocket science.’”

Jackson said MNU wants WPS officers stationed in the emergency room, better security in parking garages, more foot patrols in the area, and better lighting and more cameras. She added that an existing Safe Walk program needs to be overhauled.

“What I hear from nurses is that they can call the Safe Walk people after a 16-hour shift, and they’re available within 45 minutes to walk them to their vehicle,” Jackson explained. “They don’t really want to sit in their unit for 45 minutes.”

She also wants to see a Safe Ride program established to transport staff to and from their vehicles.

“We have a lot of people who can’t park in a parking garage — they’re on a waiting list for a spot, so they’re parked in that extremely violent area on the street,” Jackson said. “Have a van or a shuttle that picks people up and drops them off. That’s absolutely what the staff deserves.”

In an email, a Shared Health spokesperson told CTV News that several security upgrades have been made, but acknowledged that “more work is needed and (we) are committed to making HSC a safer place for everyone.”

The spokesperson said that there are 40 institutional security officers working at HSC and that the health authority has plans to further expand the security team. However, statistics on “successful ISO interventions” are not yet available, as the program only started in April.

The Shared Health spokesperson added that HSC will become the second hospital in the country to trial AI-based weapon detection systems later in July.

“Detectors will be placed at the entrances to both HSC’s Adult Emergency Department and Crisis Response Centre,” the spokesperson explained. “This pilot will require all patients, visitors and staff entering these doors to be screened. The detection systems will not require keys, mobile phones, belts or shoes to be removed before scanning and will not utilise facial recognition software.”

The spokesperson also shared that other safety and security measures have been implemented or are in progress on the HSC campus, including improvements to the parking garage, landscaping, security patrols and access control.

In an email, a WPS spokesperson said: “The Winnipeg Police Service is aware of the ongoing safety concerns surrounding the Health Sciences Centre and surrounding area. We support Shared Health’s efforts to enhance public safety through regular foot patrols by Institutional Safety Officers. This can assist our service in identifying potential hazards and providing the most efficient response.”