ADDITIONAL OFFICER REQUESTED

RCMP Ask For New Officer Dedicated To Investigations And Special Projects

The Summerland RCMP would like an additional officer to deal with drug
operations and other serious crimes in the community.

Cpl. Derek Williams says the detachment has asked council to provide the
funding for a ninth member.

"It would be a non-uniformed member," he says. "We want someone who can
dedicate their time to these community projects year-round."

Last year, the RCMP took initiatives to address drug activity in Memorial
Park and to crack down on grow operations.

But Williams says the detachment cannot give these issues the attention
they deserve.

"We definitely need an increase in resources and we need someone more
specialized," he says.

He explains that serious investigations take some time and require a fair
amount of preparation and paperwork.

By adding a ninth officer, Williams believes issues such as drug
trafficking can be controlled before they become huge problems for the
community.

"It's proactive and preventative," he says. "We want Summerland to stay safe."

The cost of bringing a ninth member to the detachment is $112,000 a year.
The municipality would pay 70 per cent of this amount or $85,000 a year.

The issue was to be discussed at a special meeting of municipal council on
Feb. 1 but has been postponed to the Feb. 14 council meeting. Municipal
treasurer Ken Ostraat says the funding for the officer will be considered
in budget discussions.

Approving an additional officer will be determined by a council resolution.

Williams hopes to have the ninth officer in place by summer.