Last year’s spike in property crime has spurred Sun Peaks Resort Municipal Council to create a security plan for the village. A member of the T’Kumlups Rural RCMP Detachment recently presented a report at the municipality’s Committee of the Whole meeting.
“Sgt. Waters came in and did his report on the actual crime statistics, and that report showed a huge increase for property crime in 2011,” says Byron Johnson, chief administrative officer for Sun Peaks Municipality.
According to the RCMP report, the spike is largely attributed to the rash of break-ins the resort experienced in the fall. The RCMP report showed a total of 101 crimes against property, with the vast majority occurring between August and December. Of the 72 incidents reported in that time frame, 61 were reported as break and enters, representing a 110 per cent increase over 2010.
Because police response to the resort is a minimum of 45 minutes from the time of call, would-be thieves have been able to gain access, rob dwellings, and evade capture. An RCMP sting operation put an end to the break-ins last fall, and the two suspects are currently charged with multiple counts of breaking and entering.
To combat crime in Sun Peaks, the municipality has tendered a request for proposal to area security companies interested in opening a security office in the resort.
“There’s no question that, high on council’s priority list, is to get a solution for the spring (shoulder season) months,” notes Sun Peaks Mayor, Al Raine.
Johnson hopes local businesses and homeowners will take advantage of having a security company on mountain.
“We’ve got a document that we’ll send to all the security companies in the area with a goal of one of them providing security services for the municipality as well as alarm response services for homeowners and businesses that want to sign up,” says Johnson.
It’s anticipated that a security service will be in place in the village in time for the shoulder season, however, the RCMP remind people that the best deterrent to criminal activity is an aware community. Residents and visitors alike are encouraged to report any suspicious activity to the local detachment by calling 911.
Help us bring you more local news
SPIN has been able to serve Sun Peaks as its sole news source for over 20 years thanks to the overwhelming support of our community. Join over 126 of your neighbours and become a monthly or yearly member so that we can continue to regularly publish the digital newsletters and stories our readers rely on.
