A Canadian Pacific Railway police vehicle.

23 April 2011

CP Rail Police Have a Nation to Look After

Medicine Hat Alberta - It's not just about busting hobos anymore for Canadian Pacific Railway police. As the world gets more complicated, whether it's regarding border security, or human smugglers, so to does the job of the railway police.
 
And they're not referred to as hobos any longer, added CP Police Constable Mike Foster, who is the city's newest addition to local law enforcement.
 
"We don't call them hobos. We call them rail-riders," said a straight-faced Foster.
 
"There is a fair bit of that occurs across the system. There are people through opportunity and desire that will identify a train car they can jump on and make themselves comfortable for a few days to get to point A to point B."
 
However, there are huge safety implications, said Foster, which require CP Police to coordinate with other police services across the country to discourage rail-riders.
 
And where once the primary goal of training CP Police was to enforce the law of the ribbon of steel that criss-crosses the country, today's rail police now take on enforcement of the law of the land.
 
Foster said more of his comrades are now graduates of the Saskatchewan Police College.
 
"I think that's reflective of the fact they are anticipating us taking on more responsibilities," he said.
 
"As the service grows, our abilities grow."
 
But for now, rail safety continues to be the biggest concern for the CP Police with 2-8 May 2011 designated Rail Safety Week across Canada.
 
People trespassing on rails, between the rails with iPods on and not being able to hear trains, hopping on trains to catch rides, are all day-to-day safety issues said Foster.
 
Also something which can prove deadly and unexpected is those slipping between cars when they cross the tracks.
 
"They don't know a mile away the train is in motion. The energy of the train is going to get to the point where they're crossing and all of a sudden the space they are trying to get through is a lot smaller and their leg is between it."
 
As far as actual policing duties, Foster said CP Police work with US Custom and Border Services to target contraband smuggling as well as human trafficking.
 
Common thievery is always an issue as well, said Foster.
 
"Those large corrugated boxes carry consumer goods for every major and minor retail company in the country as well as industry," he said.
 
"It's a target of opportunity and it's something we have to deter."
 
But as the warmer weather arrives, which usually signals more and more individuals taking advantage of shortcuts across the tracks, Foster said so will CP Police step up their efforts to enforce track safety.
 
Alex Mccuaig.