Patron Conduct Policy

Together we can ensure that the ARC is a safe place for everyone.

Every member, visitor or patron conducting business at Cockburn ARC should be provided a safe and peaceful environment and be treated courteously, respectfully and professionally by City employees during such interactions.

Consistent with the reasonable expectations of a patron, every City employee while in the lawful performance of their duties is entitled to a safe workplace and be secure from disruptive, threatening, or violent behaviour by a patron.

Patrons and employees have the right to be free from acts or threats of disruptive behaviour and/or physical violence, including intimidation, harassment, and/or coercion, which involve or effect the facility or provision of services.

Cockburn ARC will not tolerate any patron, acting individually or with others, who obstructs or disrupts service activity, or any other workplace activity held on City property.

Offensive patron conduct must be addressed promptly and effectively to protect City employees and the public and to correct or remove such offensive behaviour.

Definitions

No patron may engage in offensive conduct whilst at Cockburn ARC. Offensive conduct includes, but is not limited to the following behaviours:

Disruptive Behaviour: Disruptive patron behaviour is inappropriate behaviour that interferes with the functioning and orderly administration of a City facility or the provision of a municipal service. It hinders or prevents City employees from carrying out their professional responsibilities. It is important that City employees address disruptive behaviour promptly. If left unaddressed, disruptive behaviour typically continues to escalate, resulting in negative consequences for the individual as well as others. Examples include yelling, using profanity, waving arms or fists, verbally abusing others, and refusing reasonable requests for identification.
Threatening Behaviour:Threatening patron behaviour includes physical actions short of actual contact/injury (e.g., moving closer aggressively), general oral or written threats to people or property (“You better watch your back” or “I’ll get you”) as well as implicit threats (“You’ll be sorry” or “This isn’t over”).
Violent Behaviour: Violent patron behaviour includes any physical assault, with or without weapons, behaviour that a reasonable person would interpret as being potentially violent (e.g., throwing things, pounding on a desk or door, or destroying property), or specific threats to inflict physical harm (e.g., a threat to shoot a named individual)
Inspections of Patrons and Items: For security purposes, the City has the right to inspect all patrons and items on or near their persons such as bags, eskies, packs, mobile devices, etc., before permitting entry to Cockburn ARC or as a condition of remaining within the facility.
Contravention of the Membership Terms and Conditions and/or Conditions of Entry to the centre or areas within the centre: The City reserves the right to suspend a membership or prohibit a person from entering the centre if they do not comply. This includes but is not limited to adhering to the no coaching rule, using a towel in the gym or following the instructions of staff.

Corrective Action and Suspensions

Corrective Action

If a patron violates this policy, a City employee will take corrective action by telling the individual that their behaviour violates the Cockburn ARC Patron Conduct Policy and that it must stop.

If the individual continues the offensive conduct, they will be asked to leave the facility or be denied service. If the patron refuses to comply, security and/or the police will be called to remove the patron from the premises.

Any corrective action against a patron shall be set forth in an incident report form completed by the City employee or Security within 24 hours and provided to the employee’s supervisor.

Suspension

If corrective action was unsuccessful or the offensive conduct warrants a more severe sanctions, Table 1 will be used as a guideline by a Team Leader to determine an appropriate suspension period.

A Team Leaders recommendation to suspend or prohibit a person from entering the Cockburn ARC will be based on the guidelines in Table 1. Any suspension handed down is at the discretion of the Team Leader, who may consider context, witness accounts and if required access CCTV which will be independently reviewed by an approved CCTV Officer when determining an appropriate suspension. They will report findings to their coordinator and make a final decision.

If the offensive conduct of a patron is repeated under Table 1 then a 7 day immediate suspension will be imposed and the matter will be escalated to the relevant Coordinator for investigation and determination of a suspension period of up to 1 year. Serious patron misconduct will be referred to the Centre Manager, the Centre Manager will determine the suspension period imposed, including but not limited to a permanent ban from the facility.

If the offensive conduct of a patron is repeated under Table 2 then a 7-day immediate suspension will be imposed, and the matter will be reviewed by a coordinator and a suspension of anywhere up to a year may be imposed.

Table 1. Consequence
Misconduct
Abusive or offensive comments, swearing, derogatory or obscene remarks toward any member, visitor or staff member.	1 week minimum – permanent ban
Racial abuse or swearing that cannot be contained by sensible direction from Cockburn ARC Staff	1 week minimum – permanent ban
Endangering members of the public or staff with reckless or unsafe gestures and/or behaviour	1 week minimum – permanent ban
Intimidation
Threatening gestures, words, or actions toward any other patron or staff member	1 week minimum – permanent ban
Threatening gestures, words or actions towards members of the public or staff which may constitute as a genuine threat to their safety and/or danger to life	1 week minimum – permanent ban
Pushing, Striking and Attempted Striking
Pushing that causes another person to stagger or fall, and/or causes injury	1 week minimum – permanent ban
Attempted striking	1 week minimum – permanent ban
Slapping, hitting, kicking, butting, or other striking actions that appears intended to harm	1 week minimum – permanent ban
Malicious or multiple striking actions delivered with apparent intent to injure or cause serious harm	1 week minimum – permanent ban
Resisting
Refusal to obey a reasonable and legal instruction given by a staff member, and/or Security	1 week minimum – permanent ban
Theft
Intentionally takes personal property of another without permission or consent	1 week minimum – permanent ban

Table 2. Contravention of Conditions of Entry or Membership Terms and Conditions
Band breach	$100 fine – 18 years and up $50 fine – 14 to 16 years (subsequent breach $100)
Breaching Conditions of Entry	1. Request for patron to cease action (Educate them on conditions of entry) 2. Written warning 3. Removal from centre – 7 days suspension 4. 1 week - Permanent ban
Subsequent Breaching Conditions of Entry	1. Removal from centre – 7 days suspension 2. Team Leader to review if extension of suspension is required 3. Team Leader to contact patron with outcome

Appeals

The procedure for imposing and appealing a suspension will be as follows:

A Supervisor at Cockburn ARC may suspend any person from the facility for up to seven (7) days without any course of appeal to the person suspended.
Any person suspended by a Team Leader for a period exceeding seven (7) days shall be notified in writing of the suspension within seven (7) days after the suspension and shall be informed of their right to appeal. A copy of such Notice of Suspension shall be provided to the Manager of Cockburn ARC.
Any suspension for longer than seven (7) days may be appealed to the Team Leader. Appeals shall be made in writing and submitted to the Team Leader within (5) five days of the issuance of the suspension. Appeals shall be reviewed by Team Leader & Coordinator who, after due deliberation and after hearing from all parties concerned, shall determine whether to uphold, revoke, or modify the suspension. The Patron shall be notified of the final determination of the Team Leader in a timely manner.

Permanent Ban

If a permanent ban is applied, the patron must not attend the facility in any capacity.

They may not:

Apply for membership
Enter as a casual user or a spectator
Enter any of the public areas (cafe, reception, bathrooms or waiting areas)

Refunds for future visit passes, membership fees will be at the discretion of management.