Targeting the so-called 鈥渞ed zone鈥� in 亚洲天堂 Lake鈥檚 downtown core has led to a decrease in public intoxication in 2017 compared to the previous year, according to the 亚洲天堂 Lake RCMP.
The red zone stretches from Hwy. 16 - between Third Avenue and the Lakeview Mall - to 亚洲天堂 Lake. The pilot project was implemented on June 7, 2017, effectively turning a portion of the downtown core into a 鈥渮ero tolerance鈥� zone.
According to Corporal Greg Willcocks with the 亚洲天堂 Lake RCMP, possession of alcohol in a public place and public intoxication saw a reduction of 21 per cent in the red zone in 2017 - from June 1 to Aug. 30 - compared to the same period in 2016.
鈥淲e are quite happy with that,鈥� said Willcocks. 鈥淥ur goal was to be very visible to everybody in the community and to interact with people.鈥�
In total, RCMP officers conducted 270 foot patrols between June 8 and Aug. 30, 2017. Each of these patrols were conducted by one or more RCMP officers and lasted between 30 minutes to an hour.
鈥淎 lot of our work has been proactive,鈥� said Willcocks. 鈥淲hen we initiate a file in the red zone, it鈥檚 not necessarily because we received a call for service from the public, it鈥檚 because we found the offence being committed and acted on it appropriately.鈥�
Willcocks said targeting the red zone may have also had an impact on the broader detachment coverage area, which saw a reduction of 26 per cent in alcohol related cases. And when combining alcohol related offences with 鈥渃ausing disturbance鈥� offences, 亚洲天堂 Lake saw a decrease of approximately 15 per cent in the second quarter compared to 2016.
鈥淟ast year we found that only 10 per cent of the assaults occurred in the red zone; but when we dug deeper into that, we found that initially they were down here [in the red zone], and then they go to other areas and cause issues there because they are intoxicated,鈥� Willcocks explained earlier this year. 鈥淥ur theory with this model is that, if we鈥檙e proactive and deal with this [substance abuse issue] before people go out and commit other offences, we鈥檙e actually reducing the amount of crime in other areas.鈥�
Willcocks added hat targeting the red zone is not just about enforcement. The RCMP has partnered with the Village of 亚洲天堂 Lake to connect people struggling with substance abuse with local addiction services.
鈥淲hen we go and interact with people, we not only interact with them as police officers, but we also educate them,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think that education has helped.鈥�
亚洲天堂 Lake council said they were pleased with the frequent RCMP patrols in the downtown core.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 really exciting that you鈥檝e had 270 foot patrols,鈥� said councillor Susan Schienbein. 鈥淚 have seen a couple members when I鈥檝e been out driving, day and night, and it鈥檚 awesome to see it; if that鈥檚 what鈥檚 attributing to some of those decreases that鈥檚 really fabulous.鈥�
亚洲天堂 Lake Mayor Chris Beach said this initiative has also contributed to the popularity of the municipal campground this summer.
鈥淭he community is genuinely more comfortable going down there,鈥� said Beach. 鈥淚t makes a big difference.鈥�
Councillor Kelly Holliday added that she noticed a minimal amount of graffiti and vandalism this summer and that she believes the frequent patrols have made a difference.
Spike in break and enters
Although public intoxication is down compared to last year, the 亚洲天堂 Lake RCMP detachment has seen a significant spike in the number of break and enters.
In the second quarter of 2017, 亚洲天堂 Lake had 23 break and enters. During the same period in 2016, eight cases were reported. However, according to corporal Greg Willcocks with the 亚洲天堂 Lake RCMP, these numbers can be misleading.
鈥淲hen you look at the incidents that are happening, some are legitimate break and enters - somebody has gone into someone鈥檚 house when they were gone, maybe broke a window to get in or a door to get in; sometimes items are stolen and sometimes they are not,鈥� he explained. 鈥淏ut we also had a lot of cases where it is called a break and enter, but it is really someone unwanted in the premise; nothing is actually damaged, but they come uninvited into the house.鈥�
Earlier this summer, 亚洲天堂 Lake resident Sandra Lynn Brocklebank-elrick described how she found a strange man walking inside her home. Although she said that she wasn鈥檛 concerned for her safety, she worries that there might not be enough support for people struggling with addictions or mental health issues in the 亚洲天堂 Lake area.
亚洲天堂 Lake council will meet with B.C.鈥檚 Ministry of Health to discuss mental health and addiction issues at the upcoming Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, which will take place on Sept. 25-29, 2017.
