RCMP CRACKING DOWN ON OSOYOOS DRUG CRIME

And Overall Crime In Area Is Down 22% This Year

Osoyoos/Oliver RCMP are cracking down on drug crime, Staff Sgt. Kurt
Lozinski told Council in his quarterly report at last Wednesday's
Council meeting.

Lozinski also said overall crime in the area has decreased 22 per
cent.

"The file count has gone up, but that doesn't mean that there's more
drugs out there," he explained. "It means we're being more diligent in
finding these people."

The sergeant said that while 10 search warrants were issued by the
detachment in 2006, 19 have been issued so far this year.

"We're working hard to make sure they're being arrested," he told
Council.

Lozinski also reported that arrests for impaired driving were
down.

"We want to reduce the number of road-users killed on our highways,"
he said. "That's just common sense."

The sergeant said property crimes have decreased significantly, and
that break-and-enters were down overall, but up at businesses.

He also reported a more concentrated effort to go after what he called
the "five per centers".

"It's shown that five per cent of people commit between 70 and 80 per
cent of crime," Lozinski said. "I'd say it's closer to 80."

He said that aggressively seeking out this demographic could reduce
crime in the region significantly, and reiterated that observant
citizens are vital to law enforcement.

"Without the community involved, we're not effective," he
said.

The sergeant also pointed out that all officers and staff have
recently been trained on a new, universal database that allows RCMP
officers instant access to all kinds of information from any
detachment in the province.

Councillor Stu Wells posed a question of response times, which
apparently have garnered complaints from citizens in recent months.

"There are occasions when good citizens call in and there is a delay
between when their call is being received and when we're being
dispatched," Lozinski said. He explained most delays occur within the
call centre itself, and that once police do receive the call, response
time is usually as quick as six minutes.

He also pointed to Osoyoos' enormous population influx during summer
months.

"In the summertime, we're up to 25,000 or 30,000 people, and we don't
get any more resources," he said, adding citizens should see quicker
response times now that summer has passed.

Wells also inquired about the possibility of a joint station for
Osoyoos and Oliver.

"I like to think it's still on the table," Lozinski said. "Ideally
it's what the RCMP would like to see." He added he was unsure about
how citizens in each community would feel about giving up their
respective local stations.

Lozinski is also encouraging his force to take a greater role in the
community.

"Whether that's foot patrols or bike patrols, I'm about getting out
there and meeting the people," he said.