CPS prepare for Game 6 Red Mile crowd
Posted Apr 24, 2015 4:19 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
While the Calgary Flames look to eliminate the Vancouver Canucks in game six of their first-round matchup, the Calgary Police Service is also putting its game face on.
Following the previously announced parking ban along 17th Avenue, the force is also beefing up security along the corridor, as they expect a massive increase of people compared to recent games.
Supt. Ray Robitaille said crowds have been around 3,000 to 5,000 people for the last few games, but that should change.
“Saturday, clearly we’re making some plans that will look at crowds of anywhere from five, probably being on the lower limit and we’re certainly anticipating that we could see 20,000 fans down celebrating at the Saddledome for sure, the parking lot and the various areas around there,” he said, adding the stretch of 17th will be the busiest for officers.
Robitaille wouldn’t give exact details of the operation, including just how many officers will be dispatched, but did say RCMP will be assisting.
“I can’t say to you the exact number but I’m going to tell you, it’s going to hard not to see an officer down there,” he said.
Robitaille said the majority of fans have been fine and he described the relationship between the public and police as extremely cooperative.
But there have also been incidents of criminal behaviour Robitaille said, including investigations including impaired driving, assault with a weapon and causing disturbances.
“The message to the outliers is behave respectfully,” he said. “Some of the things that we have seen happen, people wouldn’t do if they were not drunk for one, and they certainly wouldn’t say some of the comments that we’ve heard circulating around to their mother, to their sister, to their daughter, nor would they ever want anyone else to utter those words.”
Robitaille referred to the recent trend of some Calgarians interrupting reporters, grabbing and yelling an obscene sexual catchphrase into their microphones, which have occurred both during live and recorded reports in and out of bars and just outside the Saddledome.
Police have recently announced those actions can result in charges being laid and although no one has been charged yet, there are open investigations.
“They are wholly inappropriate and I’m flabbergasted that anyone would even utter those words and they are socially unacceptable and then when we start looking at it, would that type of behaviour attract the attention of police, absolutely on a number of fronts,” he said.
The behaviour was also addressed by Flames Head Coach Bob Hartley Thursday.
“It’s not negative behaviour, it’s stupid,” he said. “There’s a few jerks right there, that they’re tarnishing the reputation of our organization and our city, that has no place,” Hartley said. “We need all kinds of fans, we need babies, we need ladies, we need men, we need all kinds of fans.”
“We have ladies over here that are reporters, we’re treating them with respect and those are our fans, those are our people, so that’s plain stupid.”
When asked how many complaints and subsequent calls for service have been made so far during playoff games, Robitaille said it’s difficult to track.
“They fluctuated during the game nights, anywhere from a low of 14 and to a high of 47,” he said. “If I was to leave those numbers out to you and you go, well it must’ve been one of the busy nights, you have the most calls, it’s not that way,” he said.
Robitaille said if fans are celebrating and behaving well, the police will enjoy it just as much.
“It’s where you carry that over to the other side, where I suggest you wake up the next morning going, boy I can’t believe I did kind of stuff,” he said. “That’s where really we go from supporting the celebration to dealing with individuals who are now behaving inappropriately, causing a danger to themselves and others.”
