By Vanessa Broadbent

Osoyoos Times

South Okanagan RCMP plan to expand an initiative that aims to treat crime holistically to incorporate Osoyoos as well.

Outgoing Supt. Ted de Jager presented to town council on Sept. 16 about the RCMP’s Community Active Support Table (CAST), which will be a regional program soon, likely by the end of the month.

CAST is a multi-agency situational table or hub that works to quickly address and prevent incidents that aren’t necessary criminal, De Jager said.

“One of the issues that we as police face is that the majority of our calls for service are not actually criminal, they’re not actually even chargeable,” he said.

Because Osoyoos is a smaller area with a major highway passing through, traffic act violations and impaired operation of motor vehicles tend to be more common, De Jager said. However, about 50 per cent, and as high as 60 per cent, of calls Osoyoos RCMP officers respond to are not criminal.

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Typically the non-criminal calls are social, including disturbances and issues surrounding homelessness and addiction.

“CAST, as a situation table, brings all the players involved with those issues,” De Jager said. “So if it’s a social issue that’s being driven by poverty then social development and poverty reduction is at the table, mental health is at the table, Interior Health is at the table, probation. Every person that has anything to do with anybody sits at that table in Penticton.”

The partners meet once a week to work on cases where people are considered to be an “acutely elevated risk.”

De Jager referred to a single mother who recently lost her job and resorts to shoplifting to feed her children as an example.

“Previously that would be a police issue or a loss prevention issue, and we charge, off to court with you, next, and then the next day she’s picked up again stealing food and so on and so on. That’s the old way of doing it,” he said.

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Instead, CAST tries to intervene right away.

“And we do mean right away – 24 to 48 hours, as opposed to court which could be six months down the line,” De Jager said.

About 80 per cent of the interventions Penticton’s CAST has been involved in have resulted in a connection to service and reduction in acutely elevated risk, De Jager reported.

CAST will continue to operate as one weekly meeting in Penticton, but will include Osoyoos cases.

“So if something were to happen in Osoyoos that was acutely elevated, (Sgt.) Jason (Bayda) could bring it right to (Const.) James (Grandy) and he could present it at the table,” De Jager said.

South Okanagan RCMP plan to include Osoyoos in the weekly CAST meetings by the end of September.