Dan Walton
Oliver Chronicle

Time to clean up the streets of Oliver.

Mayor Martin Johansen is getting the ball rolling on an enforcement committee to enhance policing and crime prevention.

He says the first step will be to identify strategic priorities, and then bounce those ideas off the public.

“Once we identify issues and challenges in the community we can get information to people that can make things happen.”

But before that can happen, a location for meetings, members of the committee, and a sustainable funding model still have to be established.

Johansen said there is “lots of interest” and suspects the first meeting will take place in February. He said potential partners include the Town of Osoyoos, Osoyoos Indian Band and Regional District of South Okanagan-Similkameen. There has also been discussion with Interior Health and the Mayor of Penticton.

He said the RCMP has indicated that facilities in the South Okanagan aren’t large enough for the police services that use them, so it could be worth looking at a joint-use facility for the Oliver and Osoyoos detachments.

“We’ll have to look into the costs associated with RCMP budgets.”

He believes CCTV cameras in high crime areas could be effective, and will talk with first responders about the best locations for them.

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The committee will look at more than just law enforcement. Johansen said it will be valuable to get Interior Health involved, because “the RCMP are not going to arrest all your problems away. It’s important to be able to connect people with the social programs they need.”

Looking at the bigger picture, he believes that more affordable housing will help to reduce crime.

“If people don’t have places to live, or if they spend the majority of their income on rent, it doesn’t leave much else for food or other things, so that contributes to local crimes.”

Johansen said the committee will meet at least quarterly, hopefully more, and that he’s feeling positive about conversations so far.

“Once we get people in the same room talking about the problem – who knows what will come out of that.”

Michael Guthrie – a local who has been critical of weak enforcement – said he has a lot of faith in Johansen’s vision.

“He answers questions, doesn’t give goofy, vague responses as most politicians do. I think he’s headed in the right direction.”