ril 9, 1993 72 pages

Race Rock rubble

JHE TOP cop in‘ North Vancouver
istrict; the population growth

“police in North Vancouver

Office, Editorial! 985-2131

is calling for more

chas shot.up, but policing levels have not kept pace.

« According to 1991 figures com-
piled. by the Canadian Centre for
ustice’ Statistics, North  Van-
“couver. District and Langley
“Township shave. the poorest
police-to-population ratios in
Canada.
“With a population of
North: . Vancouver Dis
served by .78 police of!
1991, aratio of one police oft
for-every 1,009 residents
North. Vancouver District
served by 73 members in 1979
Kelowna, with a. population

was

By Michael Becker

s Reporter

Van-
1991),
for
one

that of North
couver District. (78,900 in
employed 85 RCMP officers,
a potice-to-resident ratio of
for every $93 residents.

In Victoria, with a population
of 70,100 in 1991, the city sup-

ed 167 police officers
police-to-resident ratio of one for
every 420 residents.

similar to

for a.

AN

response.

Display Advertising 980-0511

WEST VANCOUVER Fire Department Lieut
ashes at West Vancouver’s Race Rock Yacht Services building where a large fire was
contained on Tuesday night. See page 5 for more > details.

Vancouver District
the proc of
ary priorities

North
Counc is in
determining bud
for the year

North Vancouver RCMP Supt.
Rob Byam appeared before coun-
cil members in February to pre
ent the ¢ for additional police
olficers .

Over the years the North Van-
couver RCMP detachment has
worked to become more efficient
with available resources, but de-
mands for ce and i sed
crime ‘feve > OVEFLAN the
police in North Vancouver,

A“ growing partnership between
the community and the police
force through proactive programs

arch column on gay
influence in the media
draws strong, reader

afternoon spin.

73

Classitieds 986-6222

Inspector

in part
the

Wateh hi
shortfall in

ch as Block
mitigated the
policing level.
But Byam the
crunch has in
police absenteeism and a
level _of police service.
Six officers were added Jast 5
to serve in North Vancouve
Byam is asking the district to
support an additional six in 1993,
more in 1994 and another six
in 1995, for a total complement of

staffing
higher
lower

99 police officers for North Van-|

couver District.

Given the 1991 pepulation of
75,700, the force would work with
a police-to-resideni ratio of one
police officer for every 765. resi-

Gree Wilson takes Z24
drop- lop outon a sunny

Distribution 986-1337

iNEWS photo Terry Peter.

Joe Haggerty shovels through

dents.

Meanwhile, crime statistics
compiled by the North Vancouver
RCMP for 1992 show a general
decrease in ‘criminal and traffic
cases handled.

Total criminal code offences,
including homicide, sex offences,
theft and robberics, are down
from 9,216 cases in 1991 to 8,407
in 1992.

Total traffic cases, including
collisions, are down from 15,731
in 1991 to 14,233 in 1992,

But said) North Vancouver
District. Coun. Ernie Crist, the
municipality's police liaison repre-
sentative, ‘'The statistics should
not lead us to complacency.”*