Teen parties keeping Kamloops police busy on weekends

NEWS/ POLICE — Teen parties are keeping Kamloops RCMP busy on weekends.

Cpl. Cheryl Bush said today (Tuesday) teen parties in city parks have resulted in numerous calls to police from neighboring residents. Police will be watching these gatherings and issuing violation tickets to those contravening the Liquor Control and Licensing Act or City bylaws, she said.

The fine for a minor in possession of liquor or consuming liquor is $230, and the bylaw fine for being in a park between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. is $100.

“Police need to have their resources available for true emergencies and not be tied to managing groups of youth partying on busy Friday and Saturday nights,” said Bush. “Any of the youth dealt with by police will have their parents contacted to come and take responsibility for them, regardless of the time.”

In other police news, boaters are being warned to be careful when using the North and South Thompson Rivers during spring run off, when there’s increased debris.

“Be sure to slow down and assess the clearances prior to passing under any structures, as the water levels are changing daily. Human carelessness and failure to keep a proper lookout are the two primary causes of boating accidents.”

Boaters are reminded to make sure everyone in the boat wears a life jacket.

Meanwhile. RCMP continue to get calls about a phone scam in which the caller claims to be from Revenue Canada. In the most recent incident, the caller tried to tell the victim that they were in arrears with their taxes and owed $1,900. The recipient of this call was very savvy and knew that they did not owe any taxes, therefore did not arrange any transaction with the caller.

However, the person on the phone became quite persistent and hostile and even called back a second time. The person on the phone also stated that they needed to collect the tax payment in person, in cash, “which was obviously a red flag that this was not legitimate.”

RCMP are reminding the public to verify any calls where they are asked to make payments, before conducting transactions. Police were unable to trace the source of the call in this incident.