Peace River South MLA applauds Dawson Creek RCMP efforts

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — Peace River South MLA Mike Bernier says the perceived increase in police incidents in Dawson Creek may be due to the RCMP targeting prolific offenders.

Bernier says the Dawson Creek RCMP has told him that reportable instances are down on almost every level, which was reflected in the January to September 2023 crime report.

The local politician also wants to thank the detachment for “stepping up their game,” as he’s been hearing compliments about their work lately.

“We’ve been seeing an increase in crime activity build up over the last year or two, it’s been getting worse and worse,” Bernier said.

Despite an unfortunate result of an over eight-hour standoff this weekend, police were looking to be proactive in a local investigation before the individual they were serving an arrest warrant to took his own life.

Police initially attended a residential building to arrest the man, though once officers arrived at the residence, it was determined that the man was barricaded inside the home with three women, armed and refused to leave.

“You can definitely see them ramping up their attention, which is making it a lot more public because people are seeing the RCMP raiding some of these houses in town where they know that there’s criminal activity happening,” Bernier said. “And because of that, you’re seeing a lot more of it on social media.”

Earlier this month, Dawson Creek RCMP put Tremblay Elementary School on lockdown while conducting a nearby search warrant as a precautionary measure.

Residents aren’t entirely frustrated by police, said Bernier, noting that the issue is with prolific offenders being released so quickly after being arrested.

“[The police] finally are able to go after a prolific offender and arrest them to have them only released on conditions or a promise to appear,” Bernier said.

“And then half the time, these people don’t even bother to appear. They basically laugh in the face of the judicial system, which is where a lot of the problems are.”

The South Peace River MLA says that is where changes are needed to the court system as it seems people have lost faith in it.

“Because statistically, they keep saying a majority of the crimes are always committed by a minority of people, it’s the same few handful of people that are causing all of the problems in our communities,” Bernier said.

Due to frustrations with crime in the city, a group of residents formed “Citizens Take Action” last year and made two requests to Dawson Creek City Council to directly assist police, but were denied both times.

Also, the Dawson Creek Chamber of Commerce helped relaunch Citizens on Patrol, a group that serves as an extra set of eyes and ears for the RCMP.

“We have law-abiding citizens, people of our communities who are frustrated. The last thing we need is them taking the law into their own hands, but I can completely understand the frustration,” Bernier said.

Bernier encourages residents who see illegal activity to report it to the RCMP immediately, either through 9-1-1 or directly to the Dawson Creek detachment.