A Fully Resourced Police Force

[ScottRoss]

GF, yes there are divisions, but it is the job of people like RCMP Supt. Bill McKinnon to make sure officers are assigned to those areas that need them. RCMP officers who are on traffic duty can stop a bank robber and those officers who are on downtown patrol can give a speeding ticket. I am not familiar with the powers or responsibilities of detectives, but I do have a friend in the RCMP, he is a Constable and he has given speeding tickets while performing other different routine procedures.

More police officers will be divided between departments but I trust in the police organization to put those officers where they are needed.

[ScottRoss]

Unbiased, I'm glad you asked, from this year's annual report, in Recreation and Cultural Services, pdf page 34: http://www.kelowna.ca/CityPage/Docs/PDFs//Financial%20Services%20Division/Previous%20Year%27s%20Financial%20Plans/2011%20Financial%20Plan/K-Recreation%20&%20Cultural%20Services.pdf

It may sound appealing but I do not think a city should be this focused on party planning, especially when resources are limited as they are and there are far more important priorities to consider. You can scroll through other funding requests in that department to gain insight on what programs I find overfunded or of a lower priority.

[Ub2]

Unbiased, I'm glad you asked, from this year's annual report, in Recreation and Cultural Services, pdf page 34: http://www.kelowna.ca/CityPage/Docs/PDFs//Financial%20Services%20Division/Previous%20Year%27s%20Financial%20Plans/2011%20Financial%20Plan/K-Recreation%20&%20Cultural%20Services.pdf

It may sound appealing but I do not think a city should be this focused on party planning, especially when resources are limited as they are and there are far more important priorities to consider. You can scroll through other funding requests in that department to gain insight on what programs I find overfunded or of a lower priority.

Thanks Scott; and you're right. The Block Party program among many others, I think should be nixed.

By the way, you do realize that there can be a certain amount of scroll-wheel torture when linking to city pdf files . . . just kidding.

[ScottRoss]

That Block Party Program where the city is paying $17,000-20,000 a year to host a few parties in select neighbourhoods is just one example of funding that should be reduced or eliminated. The city's media relations and communications budget has increased almost 100% in three years,

Public safety is the first responsibility of any government, and as reported, with one of the lowest ratio of police officers to population and some of the highest crime rates, we need to increase funding for our police force.

[ScottRoss]

Robberies, Assaults, Sexual Offences, and Homicides are all up since last year for the months of June and July (latest RCMP report to council) http://www.city.kelowna.bc.ca/CityPage/Docs/PDFs//RCMP/August%202011.pdf and Kelowna has one of the lowest ratios of police officers per 100,000 people. I support properly funding our police for more officers.

I acknowledge crime fluctuates but Kelowna has had a high crime rate and continues to have a high crime rate, in 2010 Statistics Canada ranked us as the 4th highest crime ridden urban centre. We need more police and resources, public safety must be our city's first priority. Without safe streets, parks, downtown revitalization and our business community will suffer.

[ScottRoss]

The above table is a comparison of crime statistics collected from Kelowna RCMP Bi-Monthly Reports and from the Abbotsford Police Department. Each force reports on many other crimes but different categories make comparison of them impossible.

I should mention that for October & November 2010 the Kelowna RCMP in their report only included totals for both months combined, for this comparison those totals were divided by two and attributed to each month individually. Also though it appears that for December 2009 Abbotsford had more crime than usual, that is merely due to combining reporting time periods as Abbotsford reports are from 27 days. This difference in reporting periods leads to improper monthly comparisons but the total crime over this 19 month period for both cities is accurate and the averages prove troubling for Kelowna.

Not only does Abbotsford have more people, they have less break and enters, less robberies, less sexual offences, and less car thefts. A few reasons, though there are many, that I believe are behind this contrast is that Abbotsford has its own police force and has dramatically more police, over 200 compared to Kelowna's 140.

I do not think as of right now Kelowna should adopt its own force but I do believe our police need more funding for more officers.
http://scottrossforkelowna.com/2011/10/24/rcmp/

[EdCase]

Scott,

You're coming across as a one issue candidate and with a very simplistic view of that issue to boot. What is your overall plan for crime prevention & deterrence?

By the way, I'd pay very close attention to Richard Taylor's advice if I were you.

[ScottRoss]

Thank you Ed for the consideration and as my platform at http://scottrossforkelowna.com/platform/ shows I'm far from a one issue candidate and I have one of the most detailed platforms and would be happy to discuss any questions you may have.

In regards to my overall plan for crime prevention and deterrence I believe that our restorative justice program is an asset and its funding should continue, I support looking at the costs of a city police force, ensuring that those who offend have access and information concerning treatment centres, and that Kelowna develops a comprehensive strategy of crime prevention that going forward we can measure what is wrong and where it is, and what improvements have been made, if any.