Cranbrook RCMP was busy last year, responding to 7,571 calls for service, a five per cent increase over 2022.
S/Sgt. Barry Graham delivered an annual report to Cranbrook city council on Monday (Feb. 26), breaking down the detachment’s organizational structure and operations, while also running through the annual crime stats.
Crime stats were up across the board in categories such as assaults (311 files), mischief (282 files), shoplifting (203 files), and business break and enter (74). Residential break and enters increased slightly by three files at 48, as did thefts of vehicles, an increase of six at 42 files.
Thefts from vehicles dropped by 39 files over 2022, for a 2023 figure of 123 cases, while sexualized offenses were slightly down at 39 files.
The detachment also held 569 prisoners, which includes an eligibility for provincial cost recovery to the tune of $140,000.
While police gather evidence and recommend criminal charges, it is incumbent on the B.C. Prosecution Services to assess and approve those charges and reports to Crown counsel, weighing a two-part test of whether there’s a substantial likelihood of conviction and if a prosecution merits the public interest.
In 2023, the Cranbrook RCMP submitted 332 reports to Crown counsel, a 16 per cent increase from 2022. Of those reports, 272 were approved for charges, which is a 28 per cent increase from the 212 approved reports from 2022.
S/Sgt. Graham reported the detachment ran two large undercover operations last year, specific to illicit drug enforcement.
“A number of evidentiary purchases were made resulting in eight suspects facing numerous counts under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act,” S/Sgt. Graham said. “Large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl and meth were seized, removing these drugs from the streets. A large amount of cash was also seized.
“Further intelligence gleaned from the projects will be used for future investigations.”
Cranbrook RCMP were also able to get $132,000 in provincial cost recovery for those operations.
Cranbrook RCMP is one partner agency involved with the province’s Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative, which includes dedicated crown counsel, probation and correctional services resources to manage repeat violent offenders.
According to S/Sgt. Graham, seven individuals in Cranbrook are identified and designated under the repeat violent offender program.
Other crime reduction initiatives include 77 joint community patrols with city bylaw services between August and December 2023, as well as doing bar walks, and proactive policing patrols.
Cranbrook RCMP reported issuing 107 violation tickets, along with 99 traffic warnings and impounding 62 vehicles, which netted $251,000 in traffic fine revenue sharing.
Cranbrook RCMP handled 995 mental health files last year, and have a dedicated mental health liaison that will be augmented by the addition of a mental health and substance use clinician, as part of a new initiative in partnership with Interior Health.
S/Sgt. Graham noted that RCMP members spent 273 hours at the East Kootenay Regional Hospital as part of apprehensions made under the Mental Health Act.
“When the RCMP apprehend someone, they must stay with them until a designated medical professional sees them,” S/Sgt. Graham said. “We cannot simply leave them at the hospital.”
The addition of two full-time watch clerks, for a total of four have helped reduce and divert administrative duties for regular members, allowing them to get back out into front line policing responsibilities faster.
In 2023, the watch clerks took on 317 file follow ups, provided administrative support on 2,969 files, assisted with nearly half of all reports to crown counsel, as well as 150 after-hours reports to crown counsel.
Looking ahead over the next year, S/Sgt. Graham says RCMP will be engaging in community consultation in order to inform a full strategic plan for 2025.
Police will also be getting a new community engagement coordinator role up and running, which will assist with the administrative workload currently performed by the Community Policing Constable. Those duties will also include gathering and analyzing crime trends to develop and implement crime prevention and reduction strategies.
Additionally, Cranbrook RCMP are planning to launch regular business engagement meetings with representatives of the business community to discuss crime trends and challenges faced by businesses in the city.
Police are also looking at relaunching the Cranbrook RCMP Volunteer program to increase visibility in the community through proactive patrols, joint safety patrols with Bylaw Services and Citizens On Patrol.
“We recognize that petty crime in the community may be under-reported to the RCMP and fully appreciate some people may feel reluctant to call the police,” said S/Sgt. Graham, in a news release following the city council meeting. “Even if police are not immediately able to respond or there was a delay in reporting to police, the information provided to us through the public reporting crimes to police is valuable.
“That information may help us gather intelligence, identify crime trends, and implement initiatives to address those issues, whether that be proactive patrols, targeted enforcement or utilizing other resources. Further, there may be ways that we can bring accountability through providing information and evidence to Crown Counsel for consideration of charges, even if we don’t catch someone in the act.”
During Monday’s city council presentation, S/Sgt. Graham also broke down the detachment’s organizational operations, as there are currently 26 municipally funded RCMP positions in Cranbrook, along with approximately nine provincially-funded positions, such as Indigenous Policing Services and Police Dog Services.
At times, one 12-hour shift can receive up to 30 calls for service, according to S/Sgt. Graham.
There are 17 frontline members who service the entire community and individually respond to approximately 500 calls annually, carrying an average of 10 active investigations at any given time.
S/Sgt. Graham provided further context, noting the General Investigations Section assumed the lead on 100 complex files last year, including ongoing ones carried over from 2022, while each GIS member is carrying anywhere from 9-17 active files.