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Kamloops  

Kamloops police chief restates support for community court in meeting with minister

Support for special court

The officer in charge of the Kamloops RCMP detachment says he met with B.C.’s public safety minister last week to discuss local policing, noting there was some “brief discussion” about police support for a local community court.

Supt. Jeff Pelley said the meeting with Minister Mike Farnworth, who was in town to speak with a number of local officials, went “very well.”

“It was in response to our respective strategic priorities at a local level, what we are doing, what our challenges involved throughout the municipality, as well as what our community needs were,” Pelley said.

“And again, what we are doing with our resources and how we are engaged in addressing criminal activity.”

He said the topic of a community court was raised in the meeting with Farnworth, who is also the province’s solicitor general.

“There was some brief discussion from our perspective, and the RCMP being supportive of such a model,” Pelley said.

In a past interview with Castanet Kamloops, Pelley said he is a strong proponent for a community court, which has been described as a voluntary diversion or sentencing court which could help co-ordinate resources for those struggling with mental health or addictions.

A group of Kamloops law professors, lawyers and outreach workers have submitted a community court proposal to B.C.’s attorney general, which the ministry says it received in fall of 2021.



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