Sicamous RCMP have had their hands full the last three months.
Cpl. Andrew Maclean presented the Sicamous detachment’s quarterly report, covering April, May and June of 2023 to council at the July 26 committee of the whole meeting.
He attended in Sgt. Murray McNeil’s place, as McNeil has been off work with an injury since July 15 and is expected to be away until September. Maclean shared in his report that he will be Acting Sergeant In Charge during McNeil’s absence.
The detachment’s objectives for 2023 are contributing to road safety, upholding police visibility downtown, in beach parks and near lakes, and communicating effectively, reads the report.
Total calls for service in this quarter were 545. This is higher than 2022, which saw 452. Maclean detailed incidents of note in his report.
Impaired drivers were much more prevalent this year than last, with 12 total over the quarter – 2022 saw three impaired drivers between April and June.
Maclean described two injury collision incidents in June. The first, on June 23, was a motorcycle crash on Highway 97A in which the driver clipped a concrete barrier and sustained minor injuries.
The second, on June 27, involved a single-vehicle rollover on the Trans-Canada Highway at Yard Creek. The driver, who had minor injuries, was found to be prohibited from driving, said Maclean, with no licence and no insurance on the vehicle. A ticket was issued for the lack of insurance and the driver was given a court date for driving while prohibited.
A May 20 break and enter incident involved a cut fence at Yard Creek’s campground compound, where sheds were opened and tools were stolen, said Maclean. There were vehicle thefts during the quarter, beginning with a snowmobile stolen from Swansea Point on May 1. A truck was stolen from a job site near Yard Creek May 29, and recovered abandoned on June 21 with the keys left inside.
On June 18, a Mercedes was reported stolen on Kappel Street and located the next morning submerged in the channel, having been intentionally driven into the water. An ICBC investigation is ongoing, said Maclean.
READ MORE: RCMP recover missing Mercedes from Sicamous Channel
A truck stolen from Lake Country on May 1 was located the next day in Sicamous at the 7-Eleven. The driver was held in custody and charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000.
There were criminal charges approved for eight matters this quarter, Maclean said, including theft under $5,000 charges, criminal harassment, assault, breach of probation, possession of stolen property, driving while suspended, uttering threats and mischief.
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