Monday’s safety forum at the community centre was proof that residents are very concerned about crime in Oliver.

But this community is no different than countless others in BC that are struggling to bring thieves and vandals to justice.

There seems to be more criminals in small communities than there are police officers in those areas, so you can’t expect the RCMP to be on top of every degenerate who decides to break into someone’s shed on a Saturday night.

Sometimes you feel like forming a vigilante group to exact your own justice, but you can’t do that legally. Just set bear traps, instead. No, you can’t do that either because if you hurt one of these “upstanding citizens” you will have the police at your door.

So what do you do? Get a mean-ass guard dog, or invest in a good security system.

The bottom line is we have to look after ourselves by making it difficult for thieves to steal our stuff. This means locking everything up and not leaving even a dime visible in your vehicle.

The police are not responsible for protecting your valuables – you are. But they are responsible for keeping the community safe, and doing what they can to bring lawbreakers to justice. From there it’s in the judge’s court, but that’s another story.

We have to give credit to the Osoyoos RCMP for their work in arresting two young people (age 19 and 21) who allegedly set fire to the men’s washroom in Gyro Park last month.

Corporal Jason Bayda said bringing charges in this case was a lot of work, but well worth it in the end.

The best way people can help reduce crime in their neighbourhood is by reporting any and all suspicious behaviour to police. They can also crime-proof their properties and join the local Oliver Crime Watch group, which needs more volunteers to patrol the community at night.

Resident Al Hudec raises some good questions about how the new correctional centre will impact the community and police resources.

If you think the RCMP are busy now, wait until they get called to the prison to investigate incidents there. Let’s hope we get the two additional officers that the RCMP is hoping to obtain for the Oliver detachment. We will definitely need them.

Whether Oliver will see an increase in crime after the prison opens remains to be seen. But if these criminals don’t use their free bus pass to get out of town (after being released), we could see more crime here.

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