Curfew not effective without cooperation from parents: Police
A city bylaw that dates back almost 20 years states children under the age of 16 must be indoors at night, but several city officials say it’s not effective without parental support.
Sgt. Carl Dinsdale of the Battlefords RCMP said the bylaw is difficult to enforce if parents aren’t around or aren’t dedicated to keeping their kids indoors.
“If we take their kids home and they’re simply going to leave by the back door again when we leave, then it just becomes a big revolving door for us and becomes quite a burden on our time,” he said. “Curfews are typically only as effective as the parents that are willing to work with people to enforce them.”
The bylaw, which was adopted in 1997, states if a child is outside between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., they will be escorted home by a peace officer. The child and their parent or guardian could each be fined $50 on the first offence and $100 on subsequent offences.