Weekly Updates

July 2010

Regular Police Beat:

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

 July 5 to 18, 2010   Summer in Sooke means the Sooke RCMP are out doing roadchecks (particularly near Sooke Potholes). Between July 12 to 18 they issued six 24-hour suspensions (warnings) to drivers who had been drinking while driving. "It was a good week (last week)," said Staff Sergeant Steve Wright, referring to no break-ins and no stolen vehicles. However, there were two reports of theft from vehicles on July 12 (one at Mystic Beach and the other in the 9000 block of West Coast Road -- thought by police to have been done by the same person).

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 Avenue South. More photos to come.

July 14. A motorcycle accident occurred on West Coast Road near Sombrio Beach. A 43-year-old woman (a newly licenced motorcycle driver) lost control of her bike. She was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Staff Sergeant Wright, Sooke RCMP, notes that hospitalization from motorcycle accidents is often for the burns incurred when making contact with the bike, as much as it is from impact with the bike itself or the pavement.

July 8. A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle while crossing Sooke Road on the crosswalk outside Evergreen Mall at 1:30 pm on July 8, 2010. Sooke RCMP are asking anyone who has more information about the electric blue newer model mid-size 4-door sedan that hit the woman (who reported knee, wrist and elbow injuries) to come forward to them with information. The car might have a dent in the hood from the impact.

July 6. A computer, some DVDs and jewelry were stolen from a house in the 1700-block of Whiffin Spit Road, sometime between 4 and 7 pm. Entry was made through a window. Sooke RCMP surmise that the intruder departed on foot (no vehicle) as the items were easy to carry.

 June 28 to July 4, 2010   "It was very quiet on Canada Day," said Staff Sergeant Steve Wright, Sooke RCMP.

 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".

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Programs & Education

July 2010

Community Education & Services:

The Sooke RCMP reminds all drivers to wear their seatbelts. "Kids are good at reminding parents and others to wear their seat belts," says Staff Sergeant Steve Wright.

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ARCHIVE:

 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 

 

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Backgrounders

July 2010

Learning more:

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). The force has 15 officers including Staff Sgt. Steve Wright, plus access to auxiliaries (not paid) and reserve constables (paid a flat rate). Two paid officers are presently on paternity leave (one returning in Sept.2010 and the other 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. Constable Mitch Fiddick is the dog handler in Langford.

 

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