Agent involved in alleged assault found unlicensed

McGill student Amber Gross was alledgedly hit by an unlicensed security guard. Photo by Jess Glavina.
McGill student Amber Gross was alledgedly hit by an unlicensed security guard. Photo by Jess Glavina.

The Concordia security guard who allegedly hit a student in the face last week was discovered not to be in possession of a valid security permit, according to a letter sent by the Concordia security department.

Amber Gross, the McGill student who said she was assaulted, filed a request for information last Thursday asking for the name and permit number of the security guard in order to file a formal complaint.

The acting director of Concordia University Security, Jacques Lachance, replied to Gross in a letter sent on April 1, saying the university had been informed by the security guard’s employer, Maximum Security Inc., that the agent did not possess a security license at present.

“Given the fact that he is not a licensed security agent […] we are not legally permitted to release his name,” the letter stated.

The guard is said to be in the process of a license application with the Quebec Bureau of private security, according to the agency contracted by Concordia University.

Concordia Student Union VP external Chad Walcott called the news as troubling and assured the CSU would do everything possible to obtain the security agent’s identity.

“It would be very concerning if we are being blocked access to an information about the assault of a student,” said Walcott. “Having unlicensed security staff on campus is completely unacceptable.”

Gross told The Concordian she was worried the university would try to put the responsibility on the individual security agency and pass the “whole thing [off] as an isolated incident.”

“These kind of accidents are likely to happen again,” Gross said. “That’s what happens when you start hiring a large number of security guards for political purposes on campus when they’re not trained to do it.”

In his letter, Lachance also mentioned that the security agent had been reassigned and was no longer working at Concordia. The university intends to pursue the investigation directly with the agency.

1 comment

  1. I strongly agree with Mr Walcott! Concordia University should not admit unlicensed Security Gards and also should NEVER tolerate any type of abuses and should cooperate with the victim.

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