By Cpl. Louis-Philippe Gendron-Fafard

This past week, April 30 through to May 6, Columbia Valley RCMP responded to exactly 60 calls for service. Here are a few examples of the files that were handled by our officers this week.

Motorcycle stolen from Athalmer

On April 30, we received a report of a stolen motorcycle from Athalmer. The complainant indicated that he last saw his red Honda CRF 250 L at 10 p.m. the previous night and was stolen from his property. For any information regarding leading to the recovery of this stolen motorcycle, please contact our office referring to file number 2018-851.

Improper use of 9-1-1

On May 2, in the early hours of the night, a male contacted 9-1-1 as he was walking on Highway 95 as his vehicle had broken down and he needed a ride back into town. Not pleased with the delay in the response, the male contacted 9-1-1 on multiple occasions seeking assistance from BC Ambulance for a ride. One of our members made contact with the male on the highway. The member provided him with a ride back into town as he was wearing all black making his situation unsafe. Our officer promptly reminded the male that 9-1-1 is for emergencies and that the RCMP and the ambulance service are not taxi services.

Boat patrols returning to Lake Windermere

On May 2, Columbia Valley RCMP received a report of a possible impaired boater leaving a boat launch in Windermere. Police attended and followed up with the license plate that was provided but were unable to locate the possible offender(s). A quick reminder that our RCMP boat will be up and running in the next few days. Boat patrols will be occurring throughout the summer to enforce liquor laws and can be deployed within minutes by our members for any emergencies. We will ensure that everyone is safe on the water throughout the summer months!

Turkey stop results in two-vehicle collision

On May 3, we received a report of a two-vehicle collision on Highway 93/95 in Windermere. After talking to the drivers, the first vehicle, a Toyota Land Rover stopped on the highway to let a turkey cross the road. The following vehicle, a motorhome, misinterpreted how much the Toyota Land Rover had slowed down and rear-ended the vehicle. Only minor injuries were reported and both vehicles were towed.

Local officers to be recognized

We are quite proud at the Columbia Valley RCMP detachment to have two of our General Duty members, Constable Adolf Mohr and Constable Chelsey Reinburg, recognized on the Alexa team for their efforts against Impaired driving in 2017. Alexa’s Team is a program that recognizes police officers in B.C. for their outstanding efforts in conducting impaired driving investigations. In order to be nominated to Alexa’s Team, police officers must have taken at least 12 criminally impaired drivers off the road through a Criminal Code Investigation or the Immediate Roadside (IRP) administrative process. Our two local officers will be attending a recognition event in Kelowna on Wednesday, May 9.

Please be considerate of your neighbours

With the summer weeks ahead, Columbia Valley RCMP is asking for your cooperation in being good neighbours. None of our officers like to shut down parties, tell you to go inside, or give bylaw tickets for noise complaints. We’ve had quite a few reports already, which can create toxic neighbour relationships. We just ask you to be considerate of the noise level of your gatherings.

Enjoy your week!

– Cpl. L-P. Gendron-Fafard is a member of the Columbia Valley RCMP Detachment

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