Lyonel Doherty, Times Chronicle
The Community Safety and Crime Prevention Committee is lauding the new policing agreement coming to Oliver in the near future.
On Monday, the committee discussed the recently announced municipal policing agreement that will give the town two new officers.
Mayor Martin Johansen said Oliver must now pay 70 per cent of policing costs because it has surpassed 5,000 population. But he offset that news with the fact the town will be getting the long-awaited two extra officers, noting the detachment will have a total of 13 officers (seven provincial and six municipal).
The mayor said this will definitely make a difference, adding there should be more timely response to calls for service, more sharing of workload and extended hours of patrol in the community. He noted it will likely take the rest of the year to get these new positions in place.
He stated that policing workloads have increased in Oliver, pointing to the Okanagan Correctional Centre which has had a significant impact on police resources.
Oliver RCMP Sgt. Don Wrigglesworth agreed there is a need for the additional officers. In fact, he said the need existed back in 2003 when he patrolled the community as a constable. The commander said the new agreement will see one sergeant, two corporals and constables patrolling the entire area, which includes Oliver, Willowbrook, Shrike Hill and the Osoyoos Indian Band. He joked that a municipal officer pursuing a criminal won’t stop at the border of the RDOS like the police in those American movies in the 1970s.
Wrigglesworth said the new policing agreement will likely contribute to increased wellness among the officers now that more resources will be available.
In his crime update to the committee, the sergeant said traffic and road safety in Oliver continue to be a top focus.
“I have tasked my officers with increasing contact with the driving public,” he said, noting these are not all violation tickets but written warnings as well.
For example, during the past year, officers issued more than 300 tickets and/or warnings, he told the committee.
Since then, Wrigglesworth has noticed a drop in emails (complaints) to the Town and phone calls and messages to himself.
“Speeding is always going to be an issue, but I think the community got the message,” he said.
Wrigglesworth gave kudos to Oliver Speed Watch volunteers for their work.
The commander said Oliver RCMP have also increased the number of curfew checks for people serving time in the community.
“My officers kept on top of these individuals, knocking on their door at one in the morning; that’s part of the job.”
As a result of these checks, officers have found some people in breach of their court orders, which landed them back in jail, he pointed out.
Wrigglesworth said community relations have seen some officers skating with kindergarten and Grade 1 students and hosting a law class at the detachment.
The sergeant said he has also taken it upon himself to resurrect the old way of policing – on foot.
“It gives me a break personally to walk downtown and interact with people.”
Wrigglesworth also gave a shout out to Fire Chief Bob Graham and his team for their work in keeping the community safe from fires.
The commander reiterated that he is always concerned about the mental well-being of his members. He referred to the recent stabbing of an RCMP officer in Keremeos, noting the member once worked in Oliver. While you can recover physically from such an event, it can be a different story mentally, he acknowledged. That’s why he puts his members’ mental well-being at the forefront.
“These (officers) are human beings,” Wrigglesworth emphasized.
