The local RCMP is concerned that the new Okanagan Correctional Centre will drain police resources once inmates start arriving in the new year. File photo
The commander of the Oliver RCMP fears that the Okanagan Correctional Centre will tax their resources starting in the new year.
Sergeant Blaine Gervais addressed Town council on Monday to present a report on crime in Oliver (comparing August to September statistics with last year’s numbers).
Gervais estimated that Oliver RCMP will be dealing with an extra 400-500 files a year due to the prison operation.
“We won’t be able to maintain it with the resources we have,” he told council members.
The sergeant suspects that police will be attending the prison to get DNA samples on a regular basis. They will also be called upon to investigate offences such as thefts and assaults, he pointed out.
Mayor Ron Hovanes asked Gervais to keep council informed on any increase in workload due to the prison. He noted that the provincial government has offered assurances that the local detachment will not be overburdened.
“We can lobby on your behalf . . . we don’t want to see you guys burning yourselves out,” the mayor told Gervais.
The sergeant said he is surprised that the RCMP has not received the two additional members that were requested in a business case. These two members were supposed to offset the additional call volumes to the prison.
The other “burden” Gervais mentioned was the potential of having members escort inmates to the local hospital and guarding them during their stay. That was the situation in Prince George, he pointed out.
But in a follow-up interview with Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Morris, he said the local RCMP will not be involved in taking prisoners to the hospital and guarding them. This task will be carried out by the prison’s correctional officers.
As for the other concerns raised by Gervais, Morris said he doesn’t know where the officer is getting his figures from, referring to the 400-500 additional files per year.
Based on other communities where prisons are located, these facilities have not had a significant impact on RCMP detachments, the minister said. In some cases, it has lessened the workload and taken the burden away, Morris stated.
He did acknowledge that local RCMP will be involved in taking DNA samples and other urgent calls at the prison.
“We will monitor that. If it does have an impact (on RCMP resources), we will address it,” Morris said.
As for the two additional police officers for Oliver, the minister said he doesn’t know where that business case stands at the moment.
Continuing on with his presentation on quarterly crime stats, Gervais said auto theft decreased 55 per cent, from 29 to 13. Business break-ins are also down 68 per cent, from 28 to nine, he noted. Other break-ins are also down from 14 to five.
Gervais said residential break-ins are down slightly, from six to four.
Fraud has stayed relatively the same, with 11 files during the same period last year, compared to 12 this year.
Gervais said mischief to property is down from 46 cases to 30, but theft under $5,000 jumped from 24 to 39.
Theft from vehicles is down 33 per cent, from 31 to 21, and violent crime jumped from 33 to 34 files, he pointed out.
The sergeant said property crimes are down 30 per cent, from 207 files to 146. Drug files increased from six to 17, while traffic offences went from 18 to 42, Gervais said.
Total criminal code offences handled by the detachment are down 15 per cent, from 287 to 244, he pointed out. The officer compared this to Summerland, which had 168 during the same period this year.
Gervais said the Oliver detachment is down to six members now due to illness. That’s why he’s hoping to acquire the two additional officers.
By Lyonel Doherty
