A Sicamous man is under court-ordered curfew after being charged in relation to a rash of thefts from boats.
While presenting his second quarter (July to September) report to municipal council, Sicamous RCMP Sgt. Murray McNeil prefaced the section on crime reduction by noting a recent additional arrest. It stemmed from a rash of thefts that occurred earlier this month from boats in marinas along the channel. The thief, he said, has been targeting cash and alcohol, ignoring valuable items including navigation systems and other electronics.
“Private marinas that had all their boats gone through, I think upwards of about 40 boats, five different occasions, all in the wee hours of the morning, after 3 a.m.,” said McNeil. “And we made an arrest this week of a 25-year-old Sicamous resident.”
McNeil said the suspect was charged with break and enter and was released on conditions.
“One of the conditions I asked for was that he not be allowed to reside in Sicamous,” said McNeil. “But I wasn’t successful in getting that. He is on a curfew. So the officers in the detachment will be conducting regular curfew checks on this gentleman. Hopefully that will stem the tide and we won’t have further occurrences.”
Overall, the number of break and enters, as well as thefts, including thefts from and of vehicles, were down this year compared to the same time last year.
Total calls for service were up this year over the same time last year, from 521 to 575. A large chunk of those calls were related to driving complaints and motor-vehicle related incidents. This included 27 motor-vehicle collisions. Five of these involved injuries, one of which was fatal. A total of 207 tickets were issued, seven for excessive speed, three for using cellphones while driving and four for no seatbelts. Thirty-nine violation tickets were issued and with six impaired drivers received with 90 day licence suspensions and 30-day vehicle impounds.
Throughout the quarter, police engaged the public by foot and on water. Forty-two foot patrols were conducted at Beach Park. McNeil said the daytime was generally OK, while at night officers would find youth with alcohol congregating in the park.
“The officers would go down there and pour out the alcohol and the kids were generally respectful and kind of got the message and moved on,” said McNeil.
Officers were able to get out on the water nine times on six-hour patrols during the quarter. McNeil said a few tickets were issued, but their time on the water mostly involved educating the public and doing safety checks.
Regarding resources, McNeil noted Cpl. Wade Fisher joined the detachment in August, and another constable has been on light duties since then due to an injury.