City of White Rock hires waterfront security guards

White Rock will be employing security guards in an effort to make its waterfront more safe for visitors.

Last week, the city council approved funding for two guards to patrol the area daily as part of a pilot project.

White Rock Mayor Megan Knight tells 1130 NewsRadio the new initiative started Aug. 1 and will run until the end of September.

“The security guards are intended to provide a presence in the promenade area during the late-night hours throughout this trial period,” said Knight.

In mid-July, the council declined a motion to implement CCTV cameras in multiple popular locations, including the waterfront, citing the project’s $823,750 price tag outlined in a report by city staff.

City council documents show that the security guards will make between $23 to $25 per hour, which the city says would cost approximately $85,000 over six months.

“Security guard services would be limited to patrolling and notifying the RCMP of any observed criminal activity only and would not include enforcement of City regulations or education of the public,” said city staff.

The initiative comes after two stabbings, one of them fatal, in the city earlier this year.

On April 21, Jatinder Singh was stabbed in a random attack while sitting with his wife, Manpreet Kaur, on a bench near the White Rock Pier. He was left with serious injuries.

Then, on April 23, the RCMP was again called to the waterfront area for reports of another stabbing. Kulwinder Singh Sohi died as a result of this stabbing.

A suspect, Dimitri Nelson Hyacinth, was charged with aggravated assault following the first stabbing, and then charged with second-degree murder in connection with Sohi’s death.

In the wake of the violence, many people in the community raised concerns about safety along the White Rock waterfront.

In response to concerns, the RCMP said that it was stepping up patrols, with dedicated officers for the area.

—With files from Hana Mae Nassar.