Mayor Ron Hovanes
Mayor Ron Hovanes wants to take a letter from the Ministry of Justice and pin it to the wall . . . just in case the province changes its tune about policing costs associated with the new prison.
The mayor referred to a recent letter written by Perry Clark from the Policing and Security Branch.
Responding to the mayor’s concerns about paying for extra police resources, Clark said any costs associated with providing police services to the correctional centre will be the province’s responsibility.
The prison is located outside of Oliver’s municipal boundaries.
Clark said the ministry does not expect the correctional centre will put increased pressure on the Oliver RCMP. But in the same breath, he noted that the RCMP will ensure a response to any arising issues or impacts of the prison.
Clark confirmed that once Oliver exceeds a population of 5,000 people, it will be responsible for providing law enforcement in the town. When this happens, the correctional centre will still be a provincial responsibility, Clark pointed out.
The regional district is asking the ministry to conduct a study on the impacts the prison will have on the South Okanagan. It’s also calling for two additional police officers to handle the extra workload. (Local officials are not convinced that the prison won’t add extra work on the backs of existing police resources.)
But Hovanes said he was “really happy” to receive the letter from Clark.
Last week the mayor was interviewed by CBC’s Almanac about small town crime, including the rash of crime recently reported in Oliver.
On March 23 local businessman James Hodge told Town council that petty crime is impacting his RV park (Apple Beach) on Tucelnuit Lake.
“I’ve lost quite a few tourists (because of crime in Oliver),” he said, noting these visitors never come back.
Hodge said he has the feeling that the province is letting RCMP numbers in Oliver fall by the wayside. For example, when an officer is ill or on leave, the RCMP does not fill that vacant position, Hodge said.
“They are their own worst enemies,” he stated.
Hodge also commented that you don’t see very much news reported on crime in Oliver anymore. (Editor’s note: The Chronicle frequently contacts the Oliver RCMP requesting information on crime, but the newspaper can only publish what the police give us.)
Hovanes said the Oliver detachment has eight officers, but when a member is on leave for any reason, there is no backfilling.
Police response time is also an issue of concern, he added. But he did note that an incident last week saw the police on scene in 15 minutes.
Hovanes said the RCMP in Oliver work hard, but it seems that the police force has lost touch with the community.
Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
