SAFETY

A common concern comes up when I talk with the people of Kamloops. It may not be there first concern but it is usually on the list...safety. Safety in the downtown core, safety in the parks, safety in their neighbourhoods, and safety on the north shore.
Regardless of whether statistics say we are improving or not, people don't feel as safe.
We face a few challenges in this area including the inability to get as the number of RCMP we have budgeted for in our city. Other issues include the behaviour of probably a small group of youth and young adults and the need for drug addicts to find money to support their habit.
We are not the only city facing this issue and several have tried to varying degrees of success to address the issue.
One plan I am interested in and have spent time on the internet and on the phone talking with the City of Nanaimo about their Safer Nanaimo program. I think there is so much in that plan we could learn from, use, adapt and work on. Indeed a few in our city are pursuing the concept.
The results are impressive. They have decreased homelessness from 300 people to 65. They have reduced problems like tagging, vagrancy and vandalism by 75 % according to their statistics. Panhandling is not allowed. The program is not just affecting the downtown but neighbourhoods throughout the city are safer.
And talking to Randy Churchill at City Hall in Nanaimo, they now believe they have failed if they have to issue a ticket or penalize for activities such as panhandling. They work at solving the problem that led to the pandhandling in the first place.
How do they do this? They started with a team of people from council, city hall, social support agencies, the downtown business association, the RCMP. They approached the problem from both the enforcement and the support sides. They pursued funding and programs to provide low income housing. Funding is out there and the types of housing needed are varied and specific. (More on what's needed here in a future blog). They have bylaws working along side the RCMP to provide a presence and enforcement of minor issues allowing the RCMP to deal with the more serious crimes. I believe we could also work with businesses and communities to involve private security in this matter.
Does it sound idealistic, yes, but the people I have talked to in Nanaimo are very enthusiastic about the program because they see the results.
I would love to claim I came up with the idea, but as the saying goes, why reinvent the wheel. I do believe we can learn from them, change, adapt and make it work for Kamloops. I want to be a part of that program.