Skip to content

Salmon Arm RCMP see rise in number of files

Property crime up slightly in community, down in rural areas
7737675_web1_BB-Scott-Lachapelle
Barb Brouwer/Salmon Arm Observer RCMP Sgt. Scott Lachapelle provides the local policing report to Salmon Arm council on Monday, July 10.

Salmon Arm RCMP may be getting more than they asked for.

In his policing report to Salmon Arm council, Staff. Sgt. Scott West said police were looking forward to some warmer, drier weather.

“We have hud some challenges in the rural area as a result of our rainy spring and we know that the city or Salmon Arm Public Works and Engineering have also experienced challenges within the City of Salmon Arm,” wrote West in his report that was presented to council by Sgt. Scott Lachapelle on July 10.

“As a result of good communication between our office and those departments, we were prepared to assist if required and had an understanding of possible affected areas beforehand.”

The report covers the time period from April 1 to June 30.

Calls for service were 1,226, up 30 per cent over the same period last year, but mental health-related calls were down by 27 per cent.

He advised council that the Salmon Arm detachment has had more than eight known deaths involving fentanyl.

All members are trained to administer Naloxone and, in order to protect police, the detachment will receive equipment that detects the deadly drug and minimizes the risk to RCMP members and office staff.

Total criminal offences in Salmon Arm were up from 226 in 2016 to 246 for the same three month period in 2017.

Property crime was up in Salmon Arm from 138 in 2016 to 164 in the three-month period of 2017, but down in rural areas from 59 in 2016 to 42 incidents.

Police have recently arrested two known and habitual offenders and are hoping that will help quell the rise in crime trends. However, West noted the transient element has an effect on local policing.

During the three-month period, local police, Regional Highway Patrol and the North Okanagan and East Trans-Canada Traffic units held three enforcement operations on the TCH in Salmon Arm.

On June 22, officers served 38 drivers notice and orders for vehicle defects, conducted wight commercial vehicle safety inspections, and served 20 violation tickets for offences ranging from vehicle defects to speed and seatbelt violations.

“I have also secured overtime resources for traffic enforcement that will increase our presence in the area by three shifts a month and will consist of dedicated traffic enforcement in the Highway 1 corridor,” West wrote.

Lachapelle told councillors that there has been positive public reaction to the traffic enforcement.

“One gentleman stopped over the weekend received a ticket and said he (the officer) was out doing his job,” Lachapelle said.