The Creston RCMP detachment regains use of the police station basement at the end of the month. The Integrated Border Enforcement Team (IBET) is no more.
The Creston IBET office that occupied the space included three RCMP constables, a Canadian Border Services Agency member and a half-time clerical worker. All IBET groups in the province have been reorganized into a federal service organized crime unit. The nearest, in Osoyoos, will take on larger border security projects all the way to the Alberta border, Creston RCMP Staff Sgt. Bob Gollan said on Monday.
According to the RCMP, “IBETs enhance border integrity and security along the shared Canada/U.S. border, between designated ports of entry, by identifying, investigating and interdicting persons, organizations and goods that threaten the national security of one or both countries or that are involved in organized criminal activity.
“IBET units protect both Canada and the United States from potential threats of terrorism and impede the trafficking/smuggling of people and contraband.”
“It actually makes sense,” Gollan said. “The IBET teams were really too small to take on major projects. Locally, there isn’t much change. We (the Creston RCMP detachment) were always responsible for the first attendance on any file. It should be a better system.”
Two senior officials flew in to Creston last week to meet with Mayor Ron Toyota to brief him on the change.
“We knew it was coming,” Toyota said. “It has no impact on our local budget, but it’s unfortunate that we lose some local jobs.”
Police Beat
In other police news, Creston RCMP responded to 58 calls from March 10-16, Gollan said.
March 10
•When police checked on a driver reported to be sitting in his vehicle in a Helen Street parking lot for a long period, they found no problems.
•No entry was gained in what appeared to be an attempted break and entry to a Northwest Boulevard business.
•An 11th Avenue North resident reported an attempted Internet scam in which payment is requested to set up a firewall on the resident’s computer.
•When contacted about an apparently abandoned vehicle on Nick’s Island Road North, the owner reported the vehicle had broken down and he was making arrangements to have it towed.
•A driver stopped on Leadville Forest Service Road for driving suspiciously was found to have had his licence suspended for medical reasons. He said he was unaware of the suspension. The vehicle was towed.
•One driver suffered only minor injuries in a bizarre three-vehicle crash on Northwest Boulevard. A female driver crossed into the oncoming lane before bouncing off a concrete wall and hitting an eastbound vehicle and a parked vehicle. The driver was found to be intoxicated and was issued a 90-day roadside driving suspension. Her vehicle was impounded for 30 days.
•When is a reported break and entry to a vacant home not a break and entry? When police investigate and find the Canyon Street residence was not vacant and the owner was returning home from walking the dog.
March 11
•A vehicle went off Nick’s Island Road but no injuries were reported.
•Creston RCMP were notified that frequent violent offender Jason Beaudry has been released from prison and plans to return to live in Creston.
•A complaint was received about an erratic driver on Northwest Boulevard.
March 12
•A barking dog complaint was made from a Highway 3 residence.
•Police were asked to assist Cranbrook RCMP in the investigation of a historic assault.
•An elderly female driver ran through a stop sign on Vancouver Street and collided with another vehicle, causing minor damage but no injuries. Police have sent a letter to the superintendent of motor vehicles recommending her ability to drive be reassessed.
•Police co-operated with the Bonners Ferry sheriff’s office in investigating a complaint stemming from the sale of a horse saddle.
•Following up on an anonymous call from Erickson about a prohibited driver operating a vehicle, police contacted the driver and warned him about the possible consequences.
March 13
•The first of several untraceable 911 calls through the Riley Road cellular tower was received.
•When police investigated a 911 call from Canyon-Lister Road they determined that the residential phone line had been disconnected. They could find no explanation for the call and the occupants were not home at the time.
•Police attended a Meadow Wood Road residence to keep the peace while a female retrieved some belongings.
March 14
•An erratic driver reported on Highway 3A in Crawford Bay was not located.
•A vehicle went off Highway 3 and rolled over in slushy road conditions near Blazed Creek. No injuries were reported.
•A suspicious vehicle reported on 11th Avenue South was not located.
•Police served a summons to a Goat River Road resident on behalf of a provincial ministry.
•Conducting a well-being check at the request of a female on Canyon-Lister Road, police found her 90-year-old husband outside pruning trees.
•Police did not locate rocks reported to be on the railway tracks near Canyon Street. A short time later, a caller reported four people were standing at a fire beside the railway tracks near Cook Street. The group scattered when police arrived and only one, a 23-year-old, was caught for questioning.
•Police were unable to locate an erratic driver on Highway 3A but the plate was traced to an 87-year-old owner.
•Police attended a 38th Avenue residence to assist Cranbrook RCMP with an assault investigation.
•A black Mustang, reported to be speeding and swerving on Northwest Boulevard, was not located.
March 15
•Police notified the appropriate provincial ministry after an incident on Sixth Avenue North in which the male resident caused a disturbance. Alcohol was a factor and children were in the residence.
•A subpoena was served to a 25th Avenue South resident on behalf of Cranbrook RCMP.
•No injuries resulted in a single vehicle accident on Thompson Road.
•Three males were reported to be running through backyards in the 500 block of 12th Avenue North.
•An erratic Ford F-150 reported on Devon Street was not found.
•Police responded to a 911 call from a 16th Avenue North residence, where the caller said she dialed the emergency number in error. A short time later, they were called back to the same residence, where an intoxicated male was refusing to leave. He was found to be in breach of his curfew, arrested and held in police cells until sober. At the same location, police found a small outdoor fire in which clothing was being burned.
March 16
•A male was arrested on 24th Street for breaching a restraining order.
•A female in medical distress at a Highway 3 residence was taken to hospital.
•Tires, apparently taken from a nearby business, were set out on 10th Avenue North.
•A male was arrested, charged and released with a court appearance pending after a complaint of harassment was made from a Northwest Boulevard residence.