Editor,
Solicitor General Mike Farnworth is currently making his way through northern and rural British Columbia to meet with communities for the first time in his capacity as the minister responsible for public safety.
This tour will be a bit of an eye opener for Mr. Farnworth, who represents the lower mainland riding of Port Coquitlam in a NDP caucus dominated primarily by urban MLAs.
Gang violence, particularly in Surrey, is likely going to capture a great deal of his attention. But I hope Mr. Farnworth takes notice of the unique needs we have in rural British Columbia, especially with regard to the shortage of resources for community policing.
I first raised this matter during the spring session of the legislature. I reminded Mr. Farnworth that Cariboo North covers more than 33,000 square kilometres, yet we have far less resources compared to many other jurisdictions. We only have 21 members at the Quesnel detachment and part of the riding is policed by Williams Lake detachment, but this pales in comparison to the City of Surrey, with little more than 300 square kilometres yet 822 officers.
Despite the difference in population, a police officer in Surrey carries a caseload of 56 compared to the 91 files an officer has to deal with in Cariboo North. This places an enormous amount of stress on our police officers, who are already working with limited resources.
We also have six First Nations which are spaced distantly throughout the riding, where it can sometimes take hours for a police officer to respond to a call. Currently we have one RCMP officer dedicated to aboriginal policing, which is significantly less than surrounding jurisdictions.
Mr. Farnworth responded by saying that we have to rely on the federal government to provide additional assistance. We could be waiting a very long time.
In the meantime, I hope Mr. Farnworth recognizes that rural British Columbia deserves attention and resources just as much as the lower mainland does.
Sincerely,
Coralee Oakes
MLA Cariboo North
