Vernon’s mayor says he’s impressed with the job police officers are doing.
With 2016 coming to a close, the RCMP detachment has been busy, including a total of 4,651 files during the third quarter.
“Our council fully supports the RCMP detachment in Vernon in regard to service they provide for our residents and their commitment to public safety,” said Mayor Akbal Mund.
“We have complete confidence in their ability to mobilize resources as required.”
The city budgets for 50 police officers but officer strength can vary from 48 to 56 positions.
“Officers are busy and have demanding caseloads but the detachment has demonstrated its professional ability to address the challenges and ensure Vernon remains a safe community,” said Mund.
Supt. Jim McNamara, officer in charge, says the local detachment is regional in scope and resources can be redeployed.
“Vernon has established minimum resource levels and our watch commanders have the authority to call in overtime resources,” he said.
“After a rigorous analysis of shifting demands, this year we adjusted shift schedules and resources to re-deploy general duty officers to peak policing hours. This will decrease response time to priority calls and increase time available for pro-active policing.”
McNamara added that from 2014 to 2015, there was a two per cent decrease in the overall crime severity index in Vernon and this year from January to August, there’s been a 5.9 per cent decrease in violent crime compared to last year.
“Vernon has a detachment of extremely competent, capable and dedicated employees. I’m very proud of the work they do to keep our community safe.”