In an update to Sicamous council, Sgt. Murray McNeil reported a dramatic increase in impaired drivers being removed from the road.
At the April 24 Committee of the Whole meeting, Sgt. Murray McNeil presented the quarterly report that included a few increases, though none quite as dramatic as the impaired tally.
“Big increase in our impaired drivers for this quarter, almost triple,” McNeil said of the 17 this year over six in 2023 and just three the year prior. “So the guys are out pulling more vehicles over, looking for people that might be impaired… making it safer for people, so that’s good to see.”
He added that overall traffic tickets written also increased from 135 last year to 159, with the five officers working resulting in an average of 10 stats per month.
McNeil said they’ve also seen more drugs, with four possessions and one trafficking charge, with the latter resulting in a member of the Combined Special Forces Enforcement Unit working in town for a bit.
“Drug possessions… we were getting hard street drugs, some methamphetamine, some cocaine,” he added. “More than the decriminalized two-and-a-half grams, some of it consistent with people… going around and making deliveries in town. So that was good intel for us, and a couple of good seizures to make.”
The other statistic McNeil highlighted was the increase in thefts at 49 over last year’s 30, but said that while Salmon Arm has seen a recent rash of shoplifting, stats aren’t showing that to be the case in Sicamous.
In good news, McNeil said there’s a new constable in town, Const. Eric Millar, who arrived from Houston in March. McNeil described him as “a young guy with about four years of service.”
“Pleased to have him, he came with good reviews and I think we’re quite fortunate to get him,” McNeil said, adding that as Millar likes to boat, he’ll get him out on lake patrols.
The full report is available on the district website at www.sicamous.ca under the committee agenda.
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