Deer seem to be causing a lot of accidents on Bowen, with “seem to be” being the operative words here.
In 2014, there were 18 incidents of motor vehicle accidents that incurred damages over $1,000, Cpl. Paulo Arreaga told Bowen Island council on Monday night. Many of those were single vehicle accidents.
“We’ve seen cars in the ditch and usually that’s an indication of people driving home drunk but when we do talk to them they say it was a deer that came in front and, ‘Okay, well, no one else saw it so we have to take your word for it.’”
Looking over the statistics, which show a 260 per cent increase this category of accidents over 2013, he said “a lot of this is deer. Deer cause damage as well… and late night getting home.”
The RCMP tries to curb the number of people who drive when they shouldn’t be but the timing isn’t always perfect.
“I’ve done one shift that I thought, ‘okay, I’m going to work until 5 a.m. and see what I get’ and it was just,” sigh, “nothing happened. But when it does happen it’s like, ‘Why aren’t we out there?’”
Officers will continue to do random road blocks to reinforce the message that officers are out there making sure that no one drinks and drives. “Deterrence is our goal,” Cpl. Varreaga said. “To me it’s successful switch if we do a road block and don’t catch anyone.”
The comparison of statistics between 2013 and 2014 didn’t reveal any startling trends. Total property crime is down 43 per cent, perhaps because there was someone in 2013 causing a lot of the problems. Likewise, an 83 per cent increase in the number of incidents involving someone being intoxicated in a public place – six in 2013 compared to 11 in 2014 — may be attributable to one person.
He said was pleasantly surprised that the number of frauds was low (four) since seniors tend to be the target of off-island scammers.
There have been 280 calls this year, which is on par for other years.
Staffing
Cpl. Arreaga was asked about concerns that there was no longer an administrative assistant at the detachment office. He said the office staff person requested to fill in for a maternity leave on the mainland and will be gone for 10 months. An administrative assistant from Squamish is helping out but she will likely be in the office only one day a week.
If people arrive at the detachment and no one is there, Cpl. Arreaga said there’s a phone outside the door with a direct connection to someone who can help. If the visitor needs to see a police officer, the officer will be told there’s someone waiting at the detachment and will drive there.
Some of the services offered by the RCMP can be handled online, such as Special Occasion Licences.
A new officer, Const. Chris Coulter, starts on June 12, joining Const. Kory Hendricks. Bryan Mulrooney is no longer under the Bowen Island RCMP umbrella, he said, “but we will definitely use his experience and services whenever possible.”
Referring to his own recent arrival on the island, Cpl. Arreaga said, “I’m personally very, very happy to be here.”
Asked how long his stint would last, he said, “I wouldn’t mind going as long as humanly possible. Why not?”
The RCMP usually encourages officers to move on after four or five years, especially for their career development. If someone stays too long in one place, the question becomes “What have you gained [professionally]?”
“A happy life,” suggested Mayor Murray Skeels.