The president of the University of Manitoba Students’ Union says he wants to see more done to protect students on campus.
Prabhnoor Singh told 680 CJOB’s The Start that safety is top of mind for many students after an incident over the weekend that led to the arrest of a 45-year-old suspect.
Police alleged the man threatened security officers and a coach at the track-and-field stadium on the Fort Garry-area campus with a homemade pointed weapon and a rock.
According to police, the man had no connection to the university, and it took an hour to successfully communicate with him after they found him hiding in a nearby retention pond.
The man was charged with four counts of assault with a weapon, possessing a weapon and four counts of failing to comply with probation.
Singh said UMSU has been working on advocacy with university administration on continued upgrades to the school’s CCTV as well as the school’s blue light poles.
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The blue light poles, he said, are nine feet high, usually stationed outdoors, and can alert security to a problem immediately.
“In case of an emergency, you push a button there, and as soon as you push the button, the campus security system will be informed, and peace officers will arrive there right away,” he said.
“Previously, these blue light poles did not even have camera equipment on them but now they do — so they get a 360 (degree) view of the area around the pole.
“In case you have to push the button and run off somewhere, the campus security … can see what’s happening in that area right away.”
Singh says safety concerns are something the student union hears about regularly from students, and were a major issue when he was campaigning for UMSU president.
“Overall, we’re trying to make sure the campus is as secure as possible at all times.”
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