A pair of trespassing calls kept Barrie police busy on Tuesday.
Shortly before 11 a.m. on Oct. 15, officers with the Community Safety and Well-being Unit responded to a Dunlop Street West construction site for an "unwanted person."
Police say responding officers were assisted by members of the tactical support unit, who located a 32-year-old man, of no fixed address, and safely removed him from site.
The man was issued a Provincial Offences Notice for entering a premises when prohibited, contrary to the Trespass to Property Act.
Later in the afternoon, Barrie police was contacted and advised of a man who was in the lobby of a Wellington Street West apartment building and appeared to be "exhibiting erratic behaviour." They had been charged with failure to leave the premises when directed on Sunday evening (Oct. 13, 2024) and had reportedly returned.
When officers arrived on Tuesday, police say the 35-year-old man, also of no fixed address, had reportedly left the lobby area and was believed to be somewhere in the building.
"A search of the building failed to locate the male and the complainant was provided advice on how to deal with what has become an ongoing and habitual occurrence," police stated in a release.
City police say officers often respond to reports of unwanted persons and these calls can be dealt with by using provisions contained within the Trespass to Property Act. At times, through enforcement of this legislation, a Provincial Offences Notice can serve as a deterrent and prevent the person from returning.
In some cases, where continuous complaints are received, police say this provincial legislation contains an arrest authority that can be exercised when an officer or a person authorized by the occupier believes, that on reasonable grounds, a person is found at a location that they know that they are not supposed to be, and they are in contravention of Section 2 of the Trespass to Property Act.
