First quarter Vernon policing report focuses on safety, enforcement

Photo: Jon Manchester

RCMP responded to 4,470 calls for service in Vernon during the first quarter.

The Vernon North Okanagan RCMP's first quarter policing report shows there were also 337 calls in Coldstream.

In the rural unit, Enderby accounted for 403 calls for service, while Armstrong had 264, Spallumcheen had 276, Lumby had 226, the Okanagan lake Westside 170, and Falkland 82.

Four hundred and thirty-five charges were forwarded to Crown counsel in Vernon/Coldstream, and 150 in the rural areas.

On the traffic enforcement side, 614 tickets were handed out in Vernon during the first three months of the year.

A total of 53 impaired drivers were taken off the streets between the two units.

The detachment "continues to focus on the priorities of enhanced public safety, community connections and road safety," Supt. Shawna Baher's report to council states.

"To support our plan, we have implemented various initiatives including prolific and priority offender management, increased police visibility, and traffic enforcement."

During the reporting period, the "Downtown Enforcement Unit liaised with the street entrenched population, provided referral information and conducted enforcement action."

The DEU executed 78 warrants of arrest and recommended 21 investigations for charge approval. Of the 21 investigations, 10 involved persons charged with failure to comply with police or court imposed conditions.

A breakdown of common crimes shows assaults, thefts from vehicles and theft under $5,000 to be the most frequent.

There were 37 assaults in January, 37 in February, and 41 in March.

Thefts from vehicles totalled 42 in January, 36 in February, and 49 in March.

Thefts under $5,000 accounted for 58 files in January, 63 in February, and 95 in March.