With great joy, Campbell River RCMP waved goodbye to 2020 and hoped to say hello to it’s much better behaved cousin, 2021.
But that doesn’t seem to be the case.
The year of 2020 closed out with the Campbell River RCMP attending 16,849 calls for service, RCMP spokesperson Const. Maury Tyre says. This was a modest 1.7 per cent increase over 2019’s case count. 2020 was the highest case count for the Campbell River RCMP since transferring to the PRIME records management system in 2008.
In terms of domestic violence the numbers between 2019 and 2020 reported events were quite similar. 2020 saw 155 actual violent events while 2019 saw 3 more at 158 events. Non violent reported disputes in 2020 were at 339 reported files, up 19 files from 2019.
The New Year gets into high gear:
As of the end of service day on Jan. 10, the Campbell River RCMP had responded to 394 calls for service. The first few days of the New Year were very quiet, but it seems people’s resolutions to behave came to an unfortunate end after a few short days as case counts rose steadily from there.
“We at the Campbell River RCMP are wondering if we should have welcomed 2021 so freely or frisked him as he came through the door,” Const. Tyre said.
Stabbing
On Jan. 7, police were advised of a male who had been stabbed and received head trauma and the Campbell River RCMP sought to investigate. The investigation revealed that the injured party and the alleged attackers were known to one another and there was no threat to the general public. The male is expected to make a full recovery.
Break and Enter
A residential break and enter in the 2400 block of Island Highway South was reported to RCMP on Jan 8. The home owner had been away on business and it was not clear when the actual break-in occurred. It was believed at the time of the report that stolen items from the home had already been recovered from a prolific property criminal two weeks earlier.
“A case like this is an excellent example of ensuring that if you are away from home for any length of time, it can often be worthwhile to have a home sitter or at the very least, very regular checks on the home,” said Const. Tyre. “In fact, some insurance companies may actually require certain levels of securities and check-ins while you are away.”
Pedestrian Hit and Run
On Jan. 8, a 16-year-old youth was struck by a vehicle in the crosswalk at Dogwood St. and Robron Rd. The male driver did stop and do a cursory check on the youth, but then ventured home. The driver later came forward and received charges and warnings under the motor vehicle act.
“It was not believed that there was a malicious intent by the driver to avoid responsibility in the matter,” said Const. Tyre. “However, it’s extremely important that drivers understand their responsibilities in an accident situation. You need to ensure that a proper exchange of information takes place with parties involved and if someone in the accident is a minor it would be wise to ensure contact with their guardian is made or contact the police.”
New to town and time to behave
On Jan. 9, at approximately 2:30 p.m. a 32-year-old male was causing issues and being belligerent at Beach Fire Brewing, screaming and yelling vulgarities and refusing to wear a mask. The male was new to town and it was expressed in no uncertain terms by the attending officer that such behaviour would not be permitted in the community, Const. Tyre said. It is believed that mental health played a major issue in the disturbance.
Bear spray incident at the courthouse
On Jan. 10, at 6:15 p.m., police were called to the courthouse downtown after a local security company located three people rinsing each others’ eyes out with milk on the courthouse steps after they had allegedly been bear sprayed. The victims fled before police arrived but a 25-year-old female was later located at the hospital, but was not forthcoming with information. It was believed the incident was related to the local drug trade.
If you have been the victim of a crime or wish to report a criminal act, call 250-286-6221. In an emergency call 911.