Vernon RCMP new crash policy

Castanet: Sept 10

Don’t expect to see the RCMP if you get into a fender bender in the North Okanagan. A new initiative will soon be implemented in Vernon to help police better use their limited resources. Officers will no longer respond to motor vehicle incidents unless it meets certain criteria, such as injuries, evidence of criminal acts like drunk driving or collisions that leave at least one vehicle undriveable. RCMP spokesperson, Gordon Molendyk, says the Vernon/North Okanagan detachment is among the top ten busiest detachments province-wide based on calls per member. “In order to focus limited police resources on addressing this detachment's key policing priorities, the Vernon/North Okanagan RCMP Detachment are looking at ways to streamline or, in some cases, prevent certain crimes from happening,” says Molendyk. He says in the first eight months of 2008, they received 951 reports of various types of motor vehicle incidents. “Of these, there were over 400 incidents that involved damage over $1,000. Many of these involved incidents where both vehicles were roadworthy after the accident and there were no signs of any criminal intent, fatalities or injuries. These investigative scenes take approximately 45 minutes per incident for police to complete the required reporting.” Molendyk says, in keeping with procedures that have been implemented in other larger centers within the Okanagan area, police will now be responding to motor vehicle incidents where one or more of the following criteria are met:
- Fatalities
- Injuries
- Collisions where there is evidence of criminal acts such as impaired driving, dangerous driving etc.
- Hit and run collisions where there is evidence linking a suspect vehicle/driver
- Collisions that result in one or both vehicles are not drive-able and are causing traffic congestion.

“RCMP will no longer be attending all other motor vehicle collision types that occur. In those cases, police ask that the drivers of these vehicles move their vehicles off the main roadway to a safe location and exchange driver/registration information with each other and then report the incident to their local ICBC Claims Center for processing.” Molendyk says this initiative will allow officers to focus on more significant issues facing the community.