Pelley 'optimistic' bail changes will help keep offenders accountable

Photo: Castanet

Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre

The Tournament Capital’s top cop says he hopes police will soon see “better results” when it comes to detaining repeat offenders pending trial.

Castanet Kamloops asked RCMP Supt. Jeff Pelley what he thinks the answer is when it comes to bail reform. He pointed to “assertive” crime-reduction efforts and the detachment’s prolific offender program.

“We work closely in our prolific offender meetings with a lot of stakeholders, including our Crown counsel and probation, to continue to focus and hold those individuals accountable,” Pelley said.

“We’re optimistic in the future that we’re going to still get some better results out of the court process with respect to accountability involving these high-risk offenders.”

Pelley said it can be frustrating for Mounties when they find themselves repeatedly arresting the same offenders, only to see them released again.

“We’re seeing certain offenders being repeatedly released after a warrant being issued for the same offence repeatedly,” he said.

“It would be frustrating with certain offenders where it’s a repeated release and they’re not being held in custody or held for a bail hearing.”

Pelley said there are presently 16 names on the Kamloops RCMP detachment’s list of prolific offenders.

Speaking this week to Kamloops city council, Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP Frank Caputo, who is a former Crown prosecutor and an Opposition justice critic, vowed to keep pressuring the federal government on bail reform.