PRRD to send letter to Attorney General on rise in crime

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — After receiving letters about the rise in crime in Dawson Creek, the Peace River Regional District has motioned to write letters to the Attorney General and the Solicitor General. 

The Peace River Regional District (PRRD) received five letters from concerned citizens in Dawson Creek concerning the rise in crime they were experiencing in the area. These letters sparked discussion of the rise of crime in the Peace River area in the PRRD meeting on January 12th. 

Mayor of Dawson Creek, Director Darcy Dober, spoke about the history of these concerns in his community, explaining city council had reached out and had a meeting with Niki Sharma, the Attorney General of British Columbia. 

Dober said Sharma seemed eager to learn about the issues in the Peace River region, especially with property crime being more common in northern B.C. as opposed to the south.

“It seems like she wants to learn and understand our area,” Dober said. 

After considering writing to her as a district, the Mayor of Taylor, Brent Taillefer, suggested that the Ministry of Safety and the Solicitor General be contacted on the matter as well.

Taillefer said there were a lot of factors to the issue, including staffing numbers in the RCMP. He brought up asking or doing research into what the current provincial model for RCMP staffing was and how it compares to what the region needed. 

“They can say they’re staffed to the model, [but] the model’s not working,” Taillefer said. 

The board motioned to write letters to the Attorney General and the Solicitor General, carrying both motions. 

The Attorney General, Niki Sharma, was elected to the position of MLA with the NDP party in 2020. Mike Farnworth is the Solicitor General of B.C. and Minister of Public Safety.