About 20 people participated in the May 9 RCMP town hall where residents shared their concerns about properties with illegal activities, panhandling, communication with the public, dogs and children in a hot car, and sex offenders.
Residents from Hope and area gathered at the Hope and District Recreation Centre’s Conference Centre to speak to Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment overall-in-charge Supt. Deanne Burleigh and Hope RCMP detachment commander Staff Sgt. Karol Rehdner.
The evening kicked off with discussion about properties with illegal activities happening, such as drug transactions. Rehdner said they could use as much information as possible to move an investigation forward. Replying to a concern on whether a person who reports these activities could face retribution, Rehdner said that rarely happens.
“I have not encountered that in the levels of investigation that I’ve dealt with,” said Rehdner. “When you deal with the upper levels of crime and those that are in different crime groups, that may be the issue because it’s a competing interest.”
Rehdner said anonymous reporting is possible, and these tips will help them form a bigger picture of how crime looks like.
On “aggressive panhandlers,” Rehdner said dealing with panhandlers is a multi-faceted issue. He said substance abuse lies at the centre of this problem. He added that police need to work with substance abuse counsellors and social agencies and groups to provide care to these individuals because enforcement has its limits.
“I can’t put them into jail. This doesn’t work,” said Rehdner. “I know it helps the community because you don’t see that person for eight hours, [but] that person has to get out of jail.”
He added that one panhandler has been put in jail and hence residents might not see that person. Another male panhandler is still around, to which Rehdner cautions that the definition of “aggressive” can vary.
“The perception is he’s aggressive because he goes straight flying across the street … that in people’s mind constitutes as aggression,” said Rehdner. “In his own mind and the way we look at it, is not aggressive.”
Rehdner said “aggression” to police means a person is touching or getting in the face of people.
Rehdner said that Hope’s crime is low. While perception might be different, statistics show him otherwise.
“It’s actually dropped this year,” said Rehdner. “I have not seen a major spike, and there has been major spikes.”
A participant asked whether the RCMP could publish statistics on crime to let people know where crime is happening and to keep an eye out. Rehnder took note of this comment.
A participant asked whether bystanders should break a window if they see a child or dog locked in a hot car. Officers advised against it, especially since this could be prosecuted as mischief. Burleigh advised that police will contact people who can help them if they cannot be there, such as a tow truck company, who can access a car without damage.
Another participant asked how residents should protect their children with sex offenders. Both Rehdner and Burleigh said they do not support vigilantism and that parents should teach children who they should trust when in public.
“The problem isn’t as great as it may be led to believe,” said Rehdner. “It’s a rare occurrence where a child gets attacked by somebody that’s unknown to the family.”