Cpl. Jason Bayda, second in command at the Osoyoos RCMP Detachment, fielded many questions from the audience at the RCMP’s Community Safety Forum at the Sonora Community Centre last Thursday. Questions concerned such issues as traffic offences, a long-time drug dealer, need for 24-hour policing, desire to see the RCMP provide weekly reports to the media and need for information about fraud. Bayda, along with Sgt. Randy Bosch, and Supt. Kevin Hewco from Penticton, said police have limited resources and they must constantly prioritize what they work on. (Richard McGuire photo)
RCMP have limited resources and must prioritize tasks, members of the public were told at a community policing forum last Thursday evening.
Nearly 150 local residents, most of them seniors, turned out at the Sonora Community Centre to hear from and question representatives from the Osoyoos RCMP Detachment, Crime Stoppers and area Superintendent Kevin Hewco from Penticton.
Most members of the Osoyoos detachment, along with support staff, attended the event, but Cpl. Jason Bayda and Sgt. Randy Bosch handled most of the questions, along with Hewco.
Police urged the public to be their eyes and ears, reporting criminal activity either directly to the RCMP or anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
“We need your help and we need your patience and understanding,” said Hewco. “We need you to volunteer in your community. COPs (Citizens on Patrol) and all our other volunteer programs are invaluable to us.”
He emphasized that people shouldn’t put themselves in harm’s way, but where time and circumstances permit, it helps when they are willing to come forward as witnesses.
“I always remind communities to be vigilant, but not paranoid,” Hewco said. “Big difference.”
Even a very small tip can help an investigation and people shouldn’t assume others have already told police, said Bayda.
In late January, vandals covered the walls of the washrooms at Gyro Park with graffiti and set a fire in the men’s room. Because it’s a taxpayer-funded community building, a lot of people talked about it, Bayda said.
“It was one anonymous tip that came through that helped us to solve that case,” said Bayda. “It got our investigation going. In fact, the tip was very generic.”
The tip was no more than the first name of one person and possible first name of the second person.
Nonetheless, it allowed Const. Ian MacNeil to search databases and quickly identify a probable suspect. That person was questioned, made an admission, and this resulted in two people being charged, Bayda said.
A 21-year-old local male and 19-year-old female are currently going through the court process.
Not all cases are solved quickly, even when the perpetrators are well known.
One woman expressed frustration that a local criminal has been openly plying his “trade” for about eight years and everyone knows who he is. Although she didn’t identify his “trade,” it appeared to be a reference to a well-known local drug dealer.
“I know what your financial constraints are,” she said. “But street drugs, open booze, drunk drivers – it goes on year after year and I’m really tired of it.”
“We feel your frustration as well,” Bayda told her. “I’m not naïve to the person you’re talking about.”
Bayda said he couldn’t discuss what police are doing with regard to that individual, but added that a previous person doing the same thing is now behind bars awaiting a possible sentence of 22 years.
“Time will come for these people,” he said. “When we have limited resources, it’s very difficult to move things along quicker.”
He admitted that eight years is a long time, but said there has been a turnover of officers at the detachment. Also, without evidence that a person is a prolific offender, a sentence is not likely to be significant.
He urged people to report to police when they see this person engaged in illegal activities so that it can be documented.
“We want to show that they are a prolific offender in this community and that they’ve been doing it for how long,” Bayda said.
Other residents expressed frustration over lack of enforcement of traffic offences, lack of 24-hour policing, and the fact that RCMP no longer provide a weekly report to the Osoyoos Times.
Again, in all these cases, it comes down to resources, police told the audience.
“We have to be very strategic in how we employ our resources and we have to prioritize tasks and prioritize investigations,” Hewco said. “I’m sure you can appreciate all of that becomes compounded when you add on the seasonal tourism.”
One man complained that people often drive at least 10 km/h over the speed limit and where he lives, on Lakeshore Drive, they often drive 80 km/h in a 50 km/h zone, even when there are young children around.
“Cars go by like they’re flying and I never see any enforcement,” he said. “I have one simple question for you. Is this driven by a lack of manpower, or is it politics? Is there no will to enforce the speed laws in Canada?”
Hewco pointed out that the crime statistics the police presented only include major vehicle incidents such as traffic crashes and impaired driving – they don’t include violation tickets.
Officers do check for traffic violations when time permits and the South Okanagan Traffic Service based in Keremeos, but covering the wider area, is entirely devoted to traffic enforcement, he said.
“I’ll be honest with you, we could do more and should do more,” said Hewco. “It comes down to resources and prioritization.”
People can report offences such as driver’s texting while driving, Bayda noted, but in order to prosecute, they would need to be a witness in court.
Alternatively, police sometimes issue warning letters, which are often effective in curbing bad behaviour.
One woman asked why Osoyoos RCMP no longer provide a weekly report to the Osoyoos Times and she asked for a show of hands from the audience of people who would like to see it. Many hands went up, including an Osoyoos Times reporter’s.
Bayda noted that the detachment doesn’t have a full-time media person, so he has to handle media when time permits. Paradoxically, when police are busiest, there is more to report, but less time for them to do it, he said.
One problem is that when police provide information to local media, other Okanagan media in places like Kelowna and Penticton follow up for their own stories, resulting in him having to spend more time, he said.
The recent case of a brawl involving minor hockey parents at the Sun Bowl is an example, Bayda said.
“The next two days, believe me, I was in my office on the phone or in front of the camera and I got very little else done,” he said. “I turned into 100 per cent media person for those two days, which I don’t mind because it’s important to get the stories out, but it means that other things fall off.”
In response to the question about why there isn’t 24-hour policing, Hewco said that most communities this size don’t have it and never have.
There is, however, always someone on call who can be reached from home in the event of an emergency 9-1-1 call.
Police also don’t discuss when they are not on patrol and they vary times when this occurs so they don’t tip off “clients,” his term for criminals.
In response to a question about telephone and internet fraud, Rick Dellebuur, co-ordinator of South Okanagan Similkameen Crime Stoppers and Community Policing, said he plans a public information session in Osoyoos next month to discuss fraud. The date has not yet been set.
Dellebuur said he’s also available to speak to employees of businesses, service clubs, strata councils and other groups about crime proofing tips and other policing issues.
Although police don’t receive extra resources to handle the influx of tourists in the summer, Mayor Sue McKortoff noted that the Town of Osoyoos provides $10,000 in funding to step up police patrols at locations such as Gyro Park.
Bayda said officers from other parts of the region often agree to work these extra hours. Last summer, however, police were only able to use about $3,000 of this funding because police personnel were spread thin handling security during the wildfires.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
Nearly 150 people, most of them seniors, turned out last Thursday for the RCMP’s Community Safety Forum at the Sonora Community Centre. (Richard McGuire photo)
Cpl. Jason Bayda, (right) answers questions while Sgt. Randy Bosch, Supt. Kevin Hewco and Mayor Sue McKortoff look on at the RCMP’s Community Safety Forum at the Sonora Community Centre last Thursday. (Richard McGuire photo)
Sgt. Randy Bosch, commander of the Osoyoos RCMP Detachment, spoke at the RCMP’s Community Safety Forum at the Sonora Community Centre last Thursday. (Richard McGuire photo)
Kevin Hewco, RCMP superintendent for Penticton South Okanagan Similkameen Detachment, spoke at the RCMP’s Community Safety Forum at the Sonora Community Centre last Thursday. (Richard McGuire photo)
