By Roy Wood, Special to the Times Chronicle
Drivers in Osoyoos might want to pay closer attention to their speed this summer as the town’s top cop says one of his priorities is increased traffic enforcement.
RCMP detachment commander Sgt. Jason Bayda told a council committee meeting this week that local Mounties have always been diligent about traffic, “(But) I’m asking my members to do a little more enforcement as well, … which will help reduce collisions. … We’re trying to make our roads safer.”
Bayda made the comment as part of his quarterly report to town council.
His second priority, he said, is to enhance public safety, particularly property crimes. “I want to reduce property … and other crimes through communications,” he said. “I want to continue doing a lot of media stuff about how we can protect ourselves … but also through technology.”
Bayda pointed to a new technique whereby local businesses can almost instantly download closed circuit TV files to his computer at the station. This, he said, allows police to more quickly apprehend criminals, particularly travelling crooks who are in town for just a few days.
“If we get that video (of a crime) the same day, we have a much better opportunity of spotting that individual in the community,” he said.
Going through the first-quarter crime stats, Bayda noted an increase in property crime, particularly theft of vehicles, which almost doubled from five to nine.
That was attributed to one primary suspect who moved back to town and was very active, said Bayda. “(But) he’s currently sitting in a hotel with steel bars and so that has reduced our theft of vehicles.”
Reports of shoplifting in the town also jumped dramatically from one to five compared to the same quarter last year. The commander said that jump is the result of one adult female. “We’re still in the process of trying to put an end to her actions.”
Along with the first-quarter stats, Bayda provided some numbers for April and May, pointing out that property crime is trending downwards. “Although we had a concerning first quarter … if you look at the way we are now, the few people we’ve managed to get charges on and held in jail” have resulted in the numbers going back down.
Councillor Jim King asked Bayda about any progress regarding the ongoing problem of squatters on Crown land in the Strawberry Creek area.
Bayda said the RCMP has no jurisdiction to deal with the problem, and it is up to provincial natural resources officers to handle. He urged residents to contact the provincial government if they are concerned about the squatter situation.
Bayda pointed out that last year enough complaints were made to the province about a similar situation above the golf course and squatters were removed and a gate was installed to keep vehicles out. “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”
There is a gate in place at the Strawberry Creek entrance. “Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to get it closed and there is nothing we can do to enforce that,” he said.
