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Kamloops  

Mayor Ken Christian acknowledges NSBIA letter, says a nuanced approach is needed to address crime and social issues

Nuance needed, mayor says

Lobbying levels of government to ensure supports and services are implemented is necessary to reduce crime and social issues, according to Mayor Ken Christian.

Christian’s comments were made in response to a recent letter sent to the mayor and RCMP Supt. Syd Lecky by the North Shore Business Improvement Association.

In their letter, Bryce Herman, NSBIA president, and Jeremy Heighton, executive director, call for a review of security and community safety processes in the area, in the wake of what they say is “out of control criminality” in the community.

“Both of those gentlemen are passionate defenders and believers in terms of business in on the North Shore,” Christian said.

“That’s what they're doing at the request of their membership and kudos to them for doing that.”

Christian said the city is trying to provide a focused, nuanced approach to handle issues related to addiction, mental illness and homelessness.

“People don't wake up in the morning and decide to be drug addicted or decide to be homeless, they come to these situations through a myriad of circumstances,” Christian said.

“When they get to that stage, they find themselves on the street, you need to actually dig down to the root causes of their conditions and start to affect change there.”

Christian said the situation on Kamloops’ streets is unfortunate, and he recognizes there are “hotspots” of criminal behaviour in the community.

He said they have funded a crime analyst position to better understand crime statistics, and noted that most types of crime have been on the decline, with certain types of criminal behaviour in some areas that are ticking upwards.

However, Christian said he believes a nuanced approach is best.

“This notion that you can arrest your way out of this is not going to happen. First of all, it's not legal. And secondly, it doesn't solve the problem,” Christian said, adding that repatriating homeless is not the answer either.

“I think what works is a very coordinated lobbying effort with the government to make sure that we are using all of the supports that are necessary for street affected individuals. And those supports are different in every case.”

He said some need mental health support or street nursing, while others might need the opportunities provided by a Customer Care and Patrol or Community Service Officer team.

“There are a few that do need a police response. And in those cases, where there is serious crime being perpetrated, the Kamloops detachment of the police are very effective in terms of their interaction,” Christian said.

In their letter, the NSBIA said they acknowledge community safety issues are tied with social issues, and they support a system that includes sobering, detox, complex care and graduated community recovery systems.

In response to the NSBIA’s request for a review of community safety systems, Christian said this is something the city is already doing.

“We’re looking at where security is effective, how effective is it, time of day, day of week, do we increase security around check issue day, all of those things. That’s constantly being reviewed,” he said.

“They want to be a part of that and we have given them that opportunity to be part of the Safe and Secure Kamloops Engagement group.”

The Kamloops RCMP sent an emailed statement to Castanet Kamloops, acknowledging they had received the NSBIA’s letter.

“We will be working together with the city on a coordinated response to provide directly to the NSBIA,” the statement said.

“We look forward to connecting with our community partners to discuss strategies and opportunities to work together toward our common goal of reducing crime in Kamloops.”



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