In the shortest meeting in Mayor Ron Toyota’s tenure as the chair at Creston town council meetings, Tuesday’s only major business was to approve a quarterly policing report written by RCMP Staff Sgt. Gord Stewart.

In Stewart’s quarterly report, he provided an activity summary for the period from Oct. 1 to Dec. 30.

“The detachment answered 753 calls for service over this three-month period as compared to 1,143 calls for service in the three months preceding this period,” Stewart wrote, and added that the slowdown with the onset of winter was typical. “Of the total calls for service, 395 came from inside the town of Creston and 358 originated in the Regional District of Central Kootenay.”

Two new RCMP officers, both experienced members, have assumed duties with the Creston detachment, Stewart said. Another has returned from parental leave and a fourth returns to light duties this month after surgery in November for an injury sustained on duty.

Two other constables are currently on parental leave and due back this summer. One of the detachment’s two supervisors (corporals) is on a graduated return to work at another detachment and it is unknown if and when he will return to the Creston detachment.

Stewart said that a pilot project to create a regional policing model for the Creston Valley and East Shore continues to move closer to becoming a reality. Town council passed a motion to send Mayor Ron Toyota to meetings about the project in Victoria next month if they are called at short notice.

“Drug education and enforcement remain priorities within the Creston detachment,” Stewart said.

Some elementary school children are going through the DARE (Define, Assess, Respond, Evaluate) program, which provides a decision-making framework to make judgments about the use of alcohol and drugs as they are confronted with them.

Three indoor marijuana grow operations have been taken down in recent months, he said.

“Over 750 marijuana plants, bulk marijuana and associated growing equipment has been seized and four males and two females face charges of production of a controlled substance,” Stewart said. “As well, seven persons have been charged with trafficking in a controlled substance in the past three months.”

Another priority, traffic safety, has resulted in a 33 per cent increase in impaired driving charges, a 58 per cent increase in 24-hour driving prohibitions and a 39 per cent increase in Motor Vehicle Act violation tickets.

Town council meeting agendas and minutes, and all public notices can be found at www.creston.ca.

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