Gangs, drugs, mental health cases major issues for police

NEWS/ POLICE — Gang violence, drug trafficking, road safety, domestic violence and property crime continue to take up a large part of the workload of Kamloops RCMP.

Supt. Brad Mueller said Monday there was a 2.5 per cent reduction in the number of calls on various police matters during the past three months compared to the same period last year but there was a 5.4 per cent increase in the number of actual offences reported to police.

He said there was a small decrease in property crimes.

Police continue to focus on identifying and helping those suffering from mental health and substance abuse issues via the mental health crisis team, Mueller said.

A second member will be added to the team to cover evening hours, said Mueller.

He said the number of offences related to such things as vagrancy, public drunkenness and Mental Health Act cases “highlights a community wellness issue as it relates to housing, addictions and/ or mental health issues.

Such offences accounted for more than a third of the overall file count for the past quarter.