Just a shirt with a phone...

I'm a security guard in Kelowna and love my job. I like making people feel safe. I like protecting property.

Two years ago, I was attacked on the job. The subject was banned from the property, and security had 20 incident reports on him. I later discovered that police had him listed as violent.

During the arrest, the subject suffered a broken arm.

He wasn't charged, but I was charged with assault causing bodily harm. Crown counsel raised the charges to aggravated assault.

The company I was working for at the time supported me 100 per cent, but was unable to help me with court costs. I did not use excessive force. The subject was resisting arrest.

I have spent about $4,000 on lawyer fees before even getting to a preliminary hearing. I had to relieve my lawyer and do the hearing on my own because he wanted another $3,000, which I didn't have. I won't be able to afford a lawyer for trial, either.

For the last two years, I have been starving, behind on rent and walking on worn out work boots. I don't sleep very well. I have had to take on a second job and still am unable to catch up. I drive a 22-year-old vehicle and don't have any fancy toys. I have no savings and live paycheque to paycheque.

I will never fulfill the full potential of my job again, meaning I won't arrest someone. From now on, I am just a shirt with a phone. I just call the police and stand back.

If grandma is getting her purse robbed, I just phone the police.

Subjects almost always get aggressive and combative with security. Security deals with repeat offenders that have hard drug addiction. I can no longer approach or make an arrest without risking getting charged.

In my 10 years of security, I have been physically attacked by multiple subjects, had knives pulled on me, been swung and kicked at, threatened to have my throat slashed, had items thrown at me such as hot coffee, rebar and rocks, had subjects threatened to burn my house down and rape and kill my wife and children.

I don't know what kind of work I am going to do if I lose my workers licence. Does anyone have a job for me?

Bill Burke