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Police incident details revealing

Crime sprees far too abundant and the culprits are often repeat offenders
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Police have obviously been doing their homework and the assignments are never easy.

A flurry of activity in recent weeks by North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP, including a considerable amount around Chemainus and Crofton, is an indication of how much legwork must be done before taking action.

We don’t always hear about what police are doing for fear of compromising any of their investigations. At the same time, there’s an obligation on the part of police and the media to keep the public informed, especially if there are any safety concerns.

On behalf of The Courier and Cowichan Valley Citizen, group publisher Warren Goulding recently addressed the lack of details being made available about police incidents in a meeting with Insp. Chris Bear. We’re pleased to say the message has been heard loud and clear and, despite ongoing issues with staffing, the police have been more forthcoming with press releases just in the last two weeks so our newspapers can better make people aware of what’s been happening when they hear the sirens.

These aren’t the quiet little communities anymore we’ve come to know and love. The amount of criminal activity going on is alarming and ignoring it doesn’t make it go away.

Making sure the police understand that and how the public can also be of assistance is paramount in fighting crime.

Just to summarize recent developments, there was a takedown of a known prolific offender from the Lower Mainland in Crofton; a raid on a Chemainus pot shop operating without a license; a bust on a Westholme house for continued counterfeit activity; and a search and seizure of a known drug house on Chemainus Road.

Once the police have done their work, the problem now rests with the court system to make sure these offenders are properly prosecuted.

Right now, that’s not happening to curtail the criminal activity. The sentences are far too light and the book needs to be thrown at those found guilty of repeat offences, which means the public might have to push the powers that be to overhaul the Criminal Code or we might never make progress at cleaning up the illegal mess.



Don Bodger

About the Author: Don Bodger

I've been a part of the newspaper industry since 1980 when I began on a part-time basis covering sports for the Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle.
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