The Downtown Vernon Association is appealing to the City of Vernon for $40,000 to top up its security fund.However, not all councillors seem willing to support the association’s funding drive. Coun. Juliette Cunningham said the DVA’s approach to downtown security has done little more than heighten people’s fear of crime.“I think what this has managed to create is hysteria,” said Coun. Juliette Cunningham. “Don’t get me wrong, I know there are some issues downtown, I was just hoping for a more positive approach.”DVA president Malcom Dunn defended their security approach saying that if the association had not stepped in, the situation downtown would have only grown worse. He said employers were already telling their staff to carry mace to work.Dunn said if the DVA didn’t address the problems, they may have ballooned out of control. “The reason we did it now is because it’s a slower time for the transient population,” he explained
But the DVA didn’t just ask for money for security patrols on Monday, they also presented the 
results of a safety audit for the downtown conducted
this summer.The safety audit showed that those who were surveyed are wary of crime in the downtown. The survey found that 95 per cent of the 166 downtown employees who were questioned had been approached by “questionable strangers” in the downtown area. More than 50 per cent of downtown customers said they feel that crime is a problem “sometimes” while nearly one-third said crime is a problem “often” or “always.”In total, 555 people responded to the survey including business owners, employees, seniors and customers. Nearly two-thirds of the customers who were quizzed were female, mainly aged 41 to 60 years old. Seventy-nine percent of the seniors involved in the survey were female while 72 per cent were 71 years of age or older.However, DVA president Malcom Dunn said that crime has decreased noticeably after they hired a security patrol and through the efforts of the RCMP.“The downtown has seen a significant decrease in crime,” he said. “We couldn’t be happier with the direction the new officer in charge (Insp. Steve McVarnock) is taking.”Council will decide on whether or not to fund the DVA’s security patrol at the March 26 council meeting.
results of a safety audit for the downtown conducted
this summer.The safety audit showed that those who were surveyed are wary of crime in the downtown. The survey found that 95 per cent of the 166 downtown employees who were questioned had been approached by “questionable strangers” in the downtown area. More than 50 per cent of downtown customers said they feel that crime is a problem “sometimes” while nearly one-third said crime is a problem “often” or “always.”In total, 555 people responded to the survey including business owners, employees, seniors and customers. Nearly two-thirds of the customers who were quizzed were female, mainly aged 41 to 60 years old. Seventy-nine percent of the seniors involved in the survey were female while 72 per cent were 71 years of age or older.However, DVA president Malcom Dunn said that crime has decreased noticeably after they hired a security patrol and through the efforts of the RCMP.“The downtown has seen a significant decrease in crime,” he said. “We couldn’t be happier with the direction the new officer in charge (Insp. Steve McVarnock) is taking.”Council will decide on whether or not to fund the DVA’s security patrol at the March 26 council meeting.
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