News Updates

 November 2010

Regular Police Beat:

MapleLine covers a regular police beat as a news service to readers.  Click here for a table of "Calls for Service".

Nov.23. Sooke residents are reminded that as holiday season approaches that the Integrated Road Safety Unit (IRSU) will be out with "lots of roadblocks (starting Dec.3) -- it's the season of many parties," says S/Sgt Steve Wright.  The Sooke RCMP will participate with the IRSU (a combined multi-force agency with officers from Saanich, Victoria and other forces in the Greater Victoria area), working out as far as Jordan River. As for location of the roadblocks: "You just never know," said the Sooke police chief. "Always have a designated driver, take turns. It's the season of parties, house parties... adults as well as teens."

Nov.23. A recent rash of theft from unlocked vehicles in the Sooke area may have been curtailed by a recent arrest.  Story

Nov.22. There were some road closures in the Sooke area on Nov.22 and many schools and businesses closed early due to excessive snowfall.  Story

Nov.17.  A vehicle at China Beach was destroyed and second vehicle severely damaged due to arson between 1:30 on Nov.15 to 8 pm on Nov.17 while the owners of the vehicles were out hiking along the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. The first vehicle was an older model green Volvo; the other vehicle was a 2009 Ford Focus and the Sooke RCMP are seeking the public's assistance with any further information about these events.

Nov.15. The windstorm today resulted in only two calls to police regarding downed trees.

Nov.8. The Sooke RCMP stats presented at tonight's District of Sooke council meeting showed an overall increase in domestic and sexual assaults in the past year or two, as reported by S/Sgt Steve Wright. In response to questions from Councillor Maja Tait, the police chief explained how the higher stats might be a reflection of more people reporting incidents (that may previously have remained quiet). Tait reflected that women nowadays may be feeling more empowered to report incidences of domestic assault.

Nov.5. There was a vehicle accident today at about 2:20 pm; a vehicle was pulling out of the Shell Gas Station on Sooke Road when it was struck by an eastbound vehicle. The first vehicle spun around 180 degrees; four occupants sustained minor injuries and were transported to hospital for examination. The driver of the oncoming vehicle was taken to hospital complaining of chest pains. The highway was closed for about an hour, said S/Sgt. Steve Wright, while police investigated and the injured were attended to by Sooke Fire & Rescue. Two pets in the vehicle were taken to Saseenos Vet Clinic for temporary care, said Matt Barney, Sooke Fire & Rescue. As of Nov. 8, Police continue to investigate, said Wright.

Nov.3. There was a rear-end collision on Sooke Road today. No injuries.

Oct.19 (last update 9 am Oct.20). Two paramedics with the BC Ambulance service in Tofino were killed this morning when their ambulance -- returning at 4:20 am from taking a person to the hospital in Port Alberni -- went over a cliff into Kennedy Lake (15 km east of the highway junction for Tofino and Ucluelet), from a winding road that "leaves no room for error". The vehicle was reported missing at 7:30 am. The victims (a man and a woman) were the Tofino unit chief and a crew member. A dive team recovered the bodies about 3 pm; as of 6 pm one family had been notified. Since 1988, eight BC paramedics have lost their lives when on duty as first responders. A memorial event was held Nov.6 in Tofino.

Oct.12. Over Thanksgiving weekend there were roadblocks in high visibility areas. One person had their licence suspended for 90 days and their vehicle impounded for 30 days for driving while under the influence of alcohol. "The alternative would have been more severe," says S/Sgt Steve Wright. "They would have lost their licence for a year and had to go through the court system. This way, under the new regulations that came in Sept.20, it saves the system money and there is less burden on the court system."  Wright was pleased that at the Kaltasin roadblock "No one had to blow, and only one 24-hour suspension was issued". He added that "people are smart at Christmas time (about not driving if they've been drinking), because of all the publicity about having a designated driver."

Oct.10. Three persons (2 adults and a child) were rescued by Sooke RCMP and the Coast Guard Auxiliary on Sunday afternoon. The trio (not wearing lifejackets) had taken a 12-ft rubber dinghy offshore from Sombrio Beach but began to float out to sea. Attempting to bring the dinghy back to shore by jumping in to swim/pull it resulted in further distress. Two RCMP officers waded out to the Coast Guard vessel with the dingy; the Coast Guard vessel took the people to Sooke where an ambulance then took them to hospital as they were suffering from hypothermia. 

Sept.29. An injury accident occurred at the pedestrian crosswalk outside Edward Milne Secondary School on Wed. Sept.22 at approximately 8:15 am. Bright sunlight had obscured the vision of the driver resulting in the injury of two teens, one of whom was sent to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, said S/Sgt Steve Wright, Sooke RCMP. No criminal charges have been laid. Counselling for witnesses is being provided at the school.
Sept.29. Sooke RCMP have reported that on Sat. Sept.18 two loaded unregistered handguns were recovered from a residence on Kaltasin Road. Five Sooke police officers were present at the arrest.

Sept.29. On Tues. Sept.21 the RCMP discovered some child pornography in a house in the 6600 block of Sooke Road while there on a search warrant for the seizure of drugs. According to Sooke RCMP S/Sgt Steve Wright there has been a charge of one count of child pornography against Donald Gordon Kotzer, age 56. Four Sooke officers were present for the arrest. There is an ongoing investigation by the Integrated Child Exploitation team out of Surrey, with assistance from the Victoria-based Integrated Technical Crimes unit.

Sept.19. A garage sale held at the Sooke RCMP detachment parking lot today attracted about 150 visitors, with the event netting about $1,600 in donations for Cops for Cancer. Early birds arrived around 8:25 am and the sale wrapped up around 3 pm. The previous evening about $7,000 was raised with an auction at the Sooke Harbourside Lions dinner at the Sooke Legion, said Staff Sgt. Steve Wright. Today's garage sale refreshments provided by the Sooke Lions contributed about $150 to the donation total; the Lions also provided tents. The leadership class at Edward Milne Secondary helped raise funds with a bottle drive. The Cops for Cancer Tour cyclist are set to arrive in Sooke on September 29th. [Photos of Sep.29 event to come.]

Sept.15. During the 7-day period of Sept.2-8, there were three assaults in the Port Renfrew area. One of them was a marital domestic violence dispute, another between mother and daughter, and a third where an intruder pulled out a machete, says S/Sgt. Steve Wright, Sooke RCMP. There were no break-ins to businesses or houses during that week. A small marijuana grow-up was unexpectedly discovered in an unoccupied residence on Kaltasin Road.  

Sept.14. Drivers are reminded that changes to regulations for driving while impaired or speeding come into effect September 20, 2010. 

Sept.10. At China Beach this morning five vehicles were rammed and a Parks Department vehicle is missing, says S/Sgt. Steve Wright, Sooke RCMP; investigators were on the scene. A vehicle stolen from Saanich turned up at the China Beach incident; however that was the vehicle used to ram the other 5 vehicles.

Sept.8. This past summer has been fairly low key for the Sooke RCMP detachment, for which S/Sgt Steve Wright is thankful -- fewer thefts and break-ins and no fatal motor vehicle accidents. Notable is the recent departure of Cpl Scott Hilderley from the local detachment as he now coordinates the DARE program for all of Vancouver Island. Of the detachment's 15 officers, 13 are on duty this fall, with 1 on medical leave and 1 on paternity leave to January 2011.

August 2010

Regular Police Beat:

August 12. Four vehicle accidents in the space of about 30 hours along Sooke Road / West Coast Road on August 10 and 11 were reported to and attended by Sooke RCMP, says S/Sgt Steve Wright, Sooke RCMP. Driver error in two instances, and vehicle mechanical failure in the other two cases, caused a range of injuries; there were some long waits for drivers in vehicles that were backed up along Sooke Road on August 10. See full story.

 July 5 to 18, 2010  

July 16. A male motorcyclist and his female passenger -- visiting from Washington State -- were injured and taken to hospital following the full speed impact of their BMW motorcycle into the rear end of a white commercial van on West Coast Road at Caldwell Road, at about 5:10 pm today. The driver of the damaged but drivable Victoria Refrigeration Ltd. van was uninjured and left the scene around 5:55 pm as police, ambulance and fire personnel also packed up. The motorcycle was loaded onto a Sooke Towing flatbed truck by Sooke Fire Dept. personnel, and taken away. Traffic was detoured from Sooke Road onto Otter Point Road as well as onto Maple. Photos to come.

 June 28 to July 4, 2010   No report so far this week.

 June 21, 2010   "There was one sexual assault in Sooke last week and also two serious domestic violence assaults," said Staff Sgt. Steve Wright, Sooke RCMP. There were 115 calls for service in the past week. Apparently an abused partner suffers about five assaults before making a report to police; by this time the cycle of violence has escalated, Wright explained. "Alcohol is a predominant factor," he said during the weekly police beat report interview. "More people are killed by alcohol-related motor-vehicle accidents than any other cause," said the head of the Sooke detachment. There have been no fatal accidents in our area this year, Wright said, adding that there was one last year and two the year before. Changing the attitude toward drinking and driving is the key, with education being the necessary action. "When offenders have their vehicles taken away for a month, this gets people noticing and talking." Two of Sooke's regular RCMP detachment -- Constable Dan Caston and Constable Chris Buxton-Carr -- are in Toronto this week as part of the G8 Summit crowd control force. "It's sort of a perk, to get that sort of assignment," said Staff Sgt. Wright. They are excellent members who work very hard here. "Being a team-player is an important aspect of being assigned to crowd control."  The Citizens Patrol volunteers noticed a crowd of approximately 18 young people gathering at Ed Macgregor Park on the weekend, and called the RCMP who broke up what could have been more of an incident.

 June 14, 2010   "Last week was a good one in Sooke," said Staff Sgt. Steve Wright, Sooke RCMP, in context -- no one was killed in a car accident in the 15,000 population area covered by the detachment though one motorcyclist did lose control of his bike on West Coast Road (due in part to road engineering, construction and gravel). Last week there was one $167 fine for use of a cell phone while driving (and two such fines in May). Assaults are up so far in 2010 compared to last year, but despite the local PetroCan station "being hit a couple of times" this year (including once last week), break-and-enter incidents are fewer in number. There were 120 service calls attended last week. As of June 3 there were eight people in the Sooke area with curfew conditions; each is visited nightly by a police officer.

 May Long Weekend, 2010   Outdoor events on the May long weekend (May 22 to 24) were heavily policed (6 officers) at Port Renfrew, in response to concerns from local residents and businesses who experienced problems from partiers in previous years on that holiday weekend. Apparently it was the "quietest May long weekend in years".

Send comments and news releases to: news@maplelinemagazine.com

Events & Education

Community Activity:

No current events posted at this time.

ARCHIVE:

Tour de Roc~ Wed. Sept. 29, 2010. Cyclists came through Sooke. Photos to come.

Cops for Cancer~ donation of items drop off ~ Fri. Sept. 17, 2010. Everyone is invited to drop off items for the annual garage sale fundraiser (8 am to 4 pm), at the RCMP station, 2076 Church Road, Sooke. Garage sale will be held Sun. Sept.19.

Sooke Harbourside Lions dinner ~ Annual FUNDRAISING Dinner for Cops for Cancer, with AUCTION  & DOOR PRIZES~ Sat. Sept.18, 2010. At the Sooke Legion, 6:30 pm. $25. Organized by Al Latreille. Open to the public.

Cops for Cancer~ FUNDRAISER ~ Garage Sale ~ Sun. Sept. 19, 2010. 9 am to 3 pm.  In the back parking lot at the RCMP detachment, 2076 Church Rd., Sooke. Sooke Lions will provide hot dogs and refreshments. Open to the public.

Wed. June 23 - Teens and Alcohol.  Educational evening by the Sooke RCMP. At Edward Milne highschool (EMCS). 7 pm.  

Corporal Scott Hilderley of the Sooke RCMP will host an info evening for parents and teens, to discuss the responsibilities and dangers of alcohol use. Two local parents who have lost children to drunk driving will also speak.  At EMCS. Includes prizes (Zipline tickets, skate board gear, etc.)

How to Raise Drug Resistant Youth. Fri. June 4, 4:30 to 6:15 pm  

A guest speaker presentation (Barry MacDonald) for parents of teens. At Edward Milne Community School, 6218 Sooke Rd. Registration: www.sd62.bc.ca/speac 

Backgrounders

Learning more:

The Sooke RCMP police chief delivered his mid-year report to the Annual Performance Plan to the District of Sooke Council, at their regular council meeting on Oct.12, 2010. Read the report.

In the Greater Victoria area during the 2010 Thanksgiving long weekend (Oct.9-11) there were 222 tickets issued by the Integrated Road Safety Unit (IRSU) including 45 for speeding, 15 for not wearing a seat belt, 10 for having no vehicle insurance in the car, 20 for not having a driver's licence while driving, 43 mandatory vehicle inspections, and one 24-hour driving suspension.

Biggest killer 2010: More people are killed by drunk drivers than any other crime in Canada, says S/Sgt Steve Wright, Sooke RCMP. The most injuries are caused by not wearing a seat belt.

Crimestoppers reports are "bang on" said S/Sgt Steve Wright in an interview with MapleLine Magazine in October 2010. "Most callers are not motivated by the financial reward. They read about a crime and it bothers them that they have information. They are glad for the opportunity to report the information anonymously," he said.

 New Impaired Driving & Vehicle Impoundment Changes ~ effective Sept.20, 2010. See a summary of the changes that will come into effect on September 20, 2010 in BC for those who drive with blood alcohol over .05 and for other offences including driving a speeds over 40 km/hr the posted limit.

 Profile of 911 Calls.

The majority of incoming calls for handling by the Sooke RCMP detachment come via 911 calls. All 'false' or abandoned calls (hangups) are followed up by visits to the premises. In 2010 to date (Sept.14/10) there have been 79 such visits by Sooke RCMP for the purpose of ensuring safety of the caller and/or providing early intervention in a situation that might escalate or involve the safety of children. Statistics for total "false-911" calls handled in Sooke in recent  years:  93 (2009), 90 (2008), 104 (2007), 108 (2006). ~ This item posted Sept.14/10.  | Story about the Langford call centre (Nov.2010 MapleLine Magazine) 

 September 11 memorials & specials. During September 2010 there have been several TV specials in Canada (notably CBC's The Passionate Eye documentaries) as well as memorials in the USA and Canada regarding the September 11, 2001 attacks at the World Trade Center and Pentagon. See an insightful CBC article by retired international affairs journalist Brian Stewart: How have we dodged the post-9/11 big one? (Sept.1/10). ~ This item posted Sept.12/10.

 Bar closing patrol. The Sooke RCMP detachment does road blocks whenever possible at closing time at local pubs (e.g. Buffy's, Sooke River Hotel, and 17 Mile House). Earlier in the evening they will do bar walks and keep an eye on people leaving. "The majority of bar customers are catching on that there are serious consequences to getting caught for drinking and driving," says Sooke Police Chief, S/Sgt Steve Wright. He says more people are using designated drivers and taking taxis home after the bars close. ~ This item posted Sept.16/10.

 Detachment Profile. The Sooke RCMP detachment covers a population of 15,000 (11,000 in District of Sooke, plus 3,000 to 4,000 rural from East Sooke to Port Renfrew). Including Staff Sgt. Steve Wright the force has 15 officers (11 male and 4 female officers) plus access to auxiliaries (not paid) and reserve constables (paid a flat rate). Two paid officers were on paternity leave in the summer (one returned this month of September and the other returns in Jan.2011).

 G8 Summit ~ June 25 & 26, 2010.   The Sooke RCMP detachment has sent two members of its force to Toronto to be part of the protective services for the G8 Summit being hosted by Canada for 20 world leaders from the world's wealthiest industrialized "G8" countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, USA, Russia). The event will be held in the small northern Ontario town of Huntsville, then in downtown Toronto.

 Curfew Patrol.   The Sooke RCMP detachment visits every person in Sooke who is under conditions of probation and curfew. Such individuals are visited every night and seen face to face by an officer. This is an effort within the prolific offender program, toward the goal of reducing overall incidence of crime.

 Police Dogs.   The Sooke RCMP detachment has access to the one trained police dog in Langford, as well as dogs from Victoria and Saanich detachments as required.