The West Kelowna RCMP detachment is so under-staffed when it comes to officers, even the watch commander has to go out and answer minor calls, according to the new city new top cop.
New detachment officer-in-charge Staff-Sgt. Leslie Roseberry told city council Tuesday even though she just started in West Kelowna last week, it was immediately clear to her the detachment needs more officers.
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Compounding the problem is the fact the province has not increased the number of officers at the rural detachment despite an agreement to do so as the population of West Kelowna increased.
That fact raised the ire of council members, including Mayor Doug Findlater, who tried to defer the hiring of two more police officers this year to show the province West Kelowna is wiling to 香蕉视频直播减濒补测 丑补谤诲产补濒濒香蕉视频直播� over the issue.
That attempt, however, failed and a majority of council voted to hire two more officers this year as recommended in the provisional budget.
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Both he and Roseberry noted the new officers will likely not be in place for at least a year because there is currently a shortage of new officers across the country despite the RCMP graduating as many recruits as possible to try and meet the demand from communities across Canada.
搁辞蝉别产别谤谤测香蕉视频直播檚 predecessor at the detachment, Staff-Sgt. Duncan Dixon had originally asked for six more officers this year but that was deemed too much by city staff in preparing the provincial budget for council, said city chief administrative officer Jim Zaffino.
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Roseberry said council can expect her to request at least two more officers each year for the next four years as she tries to increase detachment staffing levels to where they should be. Future requests will be discussed at deliberations in future years.
In the budget, a reduction of $300,000 in the current RCMP contract will help cover the cost of the new RCMP officers, meaning there will not be a direct tax impact to add them.
In her discussion with council, 搁辞蝉别产别谤谤测香蕉视频直播攚丑辞 comes to West Kelowna from White 搁辞肠办香蕉视频直播攚补谤苍别诲 the impact of not increasing policing levels would result in crime continuing in the community 香蕉视频直播涡苍蹿别迟迟别谤别诲.香蕉视频直播�
She said with the current level of staffing, the detachment is limited in its ability to tackles tasks such as traffic and road safety, community policing, crime reduction, drug investigation and property crimes.
And she said the current heavy 飞辞谤办濒辞补诲香蕉视频直播攖丑补迟 sees officers going from call to call to call without a break香蕉视频直播�is 香蕉视频直播渢补办颈苍驳 a 迟辞濒濒香蕉视频直播� on officers, affecting both moral and the amount of sick leave being taken.
