Photo: Contributed

Vernon City Council will have a full slate to deal with at Monday afternoon's regular meeting.

There have only been two regular meetings so far this summer, and Mayor Victor Cumming was away for the July 29 session.

The agenda includes the second quarter review of crime stats and policing by RCMP Supt. Shawna Baher.

The chart showing Vernon's data (above) shows a marked increase in overall reports, assaults and thefts. But Baher noted in her text report to council included in the meeting agenda that some of the increases were due to a push for more detailed reporting.

"The increase in property offences is attributed to the public having been requested to report property crimes, even if it is a minimal amount, so police have the ability to track crimes," Baher said in the notes. "lt is also attributed to an increase in thefts from motor vehicles, bicycles and propane tanks throughout Vernon."

RCMP have introduced a keyword to be included in files for street-entrenched policing target analysis in an effort to track crimes associated to street-entrenched incidents involving crime, Baher noted. Those details were not part of the stats reported in the agenda.

Coun. Scott Anderson's motion to have council look at hiring private security for downtown patrols at night came out of a desire to clamp down on street-entrenched vandalism and thefts. City staff have come back with a recommendation for council to boost funding for bylaw patrols.

They recommend hiring two full-time compliance officers patrolling in separate vehicles to observe, record, report and enforce.

This approach would "ensure officer safety in order to permit foot patrols and the ability to deal with the street-entrenched and other persons out overnight or in the early morning hours," said Geoffrey Gaucher, manager of protective services for the city in his memorandum to CAO Will Pearce, for council's consideration at Monday's meeting.

"Observed criminal matters would be reported to the RCMP with bylaw staff preventing continuation of the offence and bylaw contraventions found would also be dealt with including inappropriate overnight sheltering, the building of structures in parks and shopping carts abandoned on public property."

This option would cost $134,600 and would begin in the summer of 2020.