Residents in Oliver are taking an active interest in watching their community, according to regional policing statistics.
Supt. Ted DeJaeger of the RCMP Penticton South Okanagan Similkameen Regional Detachment said Oliver”s Citizens on Patrol group is the most active in the region.
During the second quarter of this year, the community of around 5,000 people, south of Penticton, recorded 677 hours of Citizens on Patrol hours and 105 hours of Speed Watch from within its community.
The statistics were compiled by the RCMP Penticton South Okanagan Similkameen Regional Detachment’s quarterly report.
That’s more than any other community in the region.
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Penticton, with a population of close to 34,000, had 634 hours of Citizens on Patrol watches recorded and 46 hours of Speed Watch volunteer time.
Summerland, with just under 12,000 people, recorded 100 hours of Citizens on Patrol volunteer time and 50 hours of Speed Watch volunteer time.
No hours of Citizens on Patrol or Speed Watch time were recorded in Osoyoos, Keremeos or Princeton.
In addition to Citizens on Patrol and Speed Watch, Penticton also had 40 hours of Lock Out Auto Crime and 36 hours of an ambassador program.
Throughout the region, police were present at community forums, school talks, community events and other functions.
DeJaeger said community support programs, in place in the region, are important parts of policing.
“Vigilante type activity will never be a solution to lowering incidents of crime, but Block Watch will,” he said. “So will security systems that allow our members to identify culprits and charge them, since we already know who we are. Citizens on Patrol and Project Penticton are examples of volunteers with a passion for helping our community.”
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