Peachland council has asked the RCMP to increase their visibility in the community.
The request came during a presentation by West Kelowna Staff Sgt. Brendan Dolan at council's Nov. 26 meeting. Mayor Patrick Van Minsel pointed to feedback from a recent district survey where about 50 per cent of respondents said they felt there wasn乌鸦传媒檛 enough RCMP presence in Peachland.
乌鸦传媒淚 know it乌鸦传媒檚 a perception because I know you乌鸦传媒檙e here,乌鸦传媒� Van Minsel told Dolan. 乌鸦传媒淪ometimes you乌鸦传媒檙e not visible, but you乌鸦传媒檙e here.乌鸦传媒�
Dolan acknowledged the concern and said it乌鸦传媒檚 something he plans to address.
乌鸦传媒淲e do have to triage calls for service. By virtue of you living in a wonderful community here in Peachland, you don乌鸦传媒檛 attract a high rate of criminality,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淚t's something I can take back to my detachment and pass on. You should be able to see an increase in that.乌鸦传媒�
He also highlighted the strong community policing program in Peachland, which includes 14 volunteer members and a patrol vehicle.
乌鸦传媒淭hey logged 575 hours between September 2023 and September 2024, which is substantial,乌鸦传媒� Dolan said. 乌鸦传媒淎lmost 4,000 kilometres driven of high-visibility patrols and 27 speed watch operations.乌鸦传媒�
Council also sought Dolan乌鸦传媒檚 opinion on reducing the speed limit on Highway 97 through Peachland. Currently, the speed limit alternates between 90 km/h and 70 km/h in sections between the Okanagan Connector interchange and Antlers Beach.
The district has long pushed the Ministry of Transportation to lower the speed limit to 70 km/h for the entire stretch. , there were 49 collisions in 2023 on this section of the highway, 19 of which involved injuries.
Dolan said he would not oppose lowering the speed limit. 乌鸦传媒淢y first impression is that slower speed limits are generally safer,乌鸦传媒� he said, adding that he would like to access more data on speeds and collisions in the area.
乌鸦传媒淪peed limits are only effective if people believe they are being enforced,乌鸦传媒� Dolan added. 乌鸦传媒淚 would like to see speed enforcement and in general, traffic enforcement, increased in Peachland.乌鸦传媒�
