Police reporting fewer impaireds; one abuse-of-toque scenario
By Castlegar Source
The Mackenzie Brothers would be so proud, as a toque-related incident tops the holiday highlights released by Castlegar police.
“Castlegar RCMP received 81 calls for service from Dec. 24 until Jan. 1,” said RCMP Sgt. Laurel Mathew. “There were no notable spikes in any particular kind of crime. Christmas Eve and Day were relatively uneventful. New Year’s Eve was a busy night, as there were weddings and some busfulls of out-of-province people here to ski, but there were no major incidents.”
Mathew did indicate, however, that there were two mischief incidents to usher in the New Year, one of which involved that iconic Canadian symbol – the toque.
“A few youth were caught burning a toque in a public place, but no damage to any buildings occurred and the youth were sent on their way with a verbal warning,” she said.
The other incident has less amusement value, as Mathew said a vehicle had its windows smashed.
“There were no new graffiti reports, which had been a concern due to the ongoing issues with it in recent history.”
She said there were few impaired charges this holiday.
“It appeared that the transit system was well used, and although there were lots of vehicles driving around, only one person was issued a 12-hour driving suspension. ( This is by Castlegar RCMP members – West Kootenay Traffic and IRSU were likely in the area doing traffic enforcement and may have their own stats for this).
“Several drug charges are pending stemming from New Year’s Eve. Two Castlegar men are facing possession charges and one is facing Trafficking charges. There were also several instances where small amounts of drugs were seized but no charges are being considered.
“There were several charges under the Liquor Control Act as well, for drinking in public, one for a minor being in possession of liquor, and two for being intoxicated in public.”
Mathew said a vigilant public helped ensure such an orderly holiday season.
“I would like to thank the Citizens on Patrol group who kindly donated a lot of their time to patrol Castlegar and report anything suspicious to the working officers. The extra eyes and ears are always a tremendous asset,” she said. “The Castlegar RCMP wishes everyone a Happy New Year and all the best in 2013.”
