Keeping kids safe within the classroom is one of the major goals of Prince George RCMP Superintendent Darin Rappel heading into the new year.
During a year-in-review chat with MyPGNow.com, Rappel mentioned expanding the detachment’s footprint in the classroom will assist in further dealing with sextortion – one of his top priorities for 2025.
“We see it in our schools but we also see it in other areas and it affects our youth in a negative way but we also see organized crime involved in it with prostitution. In some instances, people are moved into the community and these acts take place.”
“There is room to enhance our footprint in the school system. Some of the schools that we have are very large with over a thousand students in a number of the high schools here and they do have problems that are of a criminal nature and certainly having police working closely with the school board, teachers and staff will make the community safer.”
“If we are successful (in adding more members), we would continue to build capacity off of front line and that would be some of our support service members into the school systems and some of our proactive areas that we consider general duty, much like the wheels on the bus and we need members in a response scenario,” added Rappel.
In addition, Rappel is also in favour of the city’s move to approve a one-year pilot program to place security cameras downtown as a way to curb crime in that area.
The goal is to have the project up and running by April 1st with a cost of $40,000 dollars, emulating a successful operation already in place in Penticton.
He added the wheels have been in motion for a while and that this should give his officers a better chance to charge and arrest more offenders.
“I have been part of those conversations at some levels during the public safety meetings. I am a big supporter of video surveillance in the sense that people have the right to protect their property and businesses.”
“We will have to wait and see. I am not entirely sure we will see that trend immediately. It has not been my experience that video in and of itself reduces crime but what it does do is produce better quality evidence that you can take and forward to crown counsel that will enhance the chances of a successful prosecution.”
The hard costs of executing the pilot program, include camera equipment, security monitoring services, installation and, communications.
As for crime trends in Prince George, Rappel noted the northern capital did some declines as well as a recent spike in drug-related files since the spring.
“Auto theft is on a downward trend, break and enter to businesses is on a downward trend but b & e’s to homes seem to be on the rise. By and large, we have been fairly consistent – we have seen an increase in drug files but that might have something to do with the rollback in decriminalization being very recent.”
Speaking of decriminalization, the failed experiment often put one hand behind the backs of officers when dealing with certain individuals according to Rappel.
“We were powerless in some situations to have an effect on that individual and to move them out of the area. Then we saw the side effects of that as the individuals would become intoxicated by drugs, which would lead to calls for service to BC Ambulance or other criminal behaviour that would result from erratic behaviour.”
Prince George has tallied six murders in 2024 within city limits while the neighbouring North District detachment has responded to a pair of homicides outside of the northern capital.
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