Kimberley RCMP saw an increase in calls regarding traffic incidents from April to June, but note that it was expected as more people enjoy warmer temperatures.
The biggest increase between January to March (Q4) and April to June (Q1) was traffic and vehicle-related incidents, jumping from 71 calls to 106.
“In January and February, the weather is bad most of the time and people are usually inside,” said detachment commander Sgt. Steve Woodcox.
“When you get into April and June, the weather gets better and you see more traffic, so you see more traffic complaints. It’s consistent year over year.”
Woodcox said drunk driving is an ongoing issue in the community.
“We unfortunately continue to see impaired driving getting worse, quarter after quarter, so we try to combat this with road checks,” said Woodcox.
“We were able to stop eight impaired drivers and take them off the road on Friday and Saturday (July 19 and 20). That’s not all related to Julyfest, it’s happening all over the community. That is something we want to put resources behind because it continues to be a problem and it’s putting everyone in the community at risk.”
Total calls for service were up from 368 in Q4 to 476 in Q1, but Woodcox noted a five per cent decrease in calls from the same time period last year.
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