ON CALL - Constable Kim Hall of the Terrace RCMP detachment stands beside one of the many police ‘vehicles used to fight crime. Calls for police service have increased as the city’s population has grown. Despite finishing in the 19th position on the provincial crime rate charts, police are con- stantly kept busy. As RCMP Inspector Larry Yeske says, “Our calls for service have definitely Increased.” The Terrace ROMP has a total staff of 60, including 89 officers. The are also 12 auxil- iary officers. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 23, 1993 - Page AS >OLICING ‘tt just doesn't get any easier, say Mounties ‘THE GOOD NEWS is Terrace ~ has tumbled to #19 on the provin- lal: crime rate charts. ‘ (We had the dubious distinction of being second in 1988.) . The bad news is that there are ' more.of us and as many crimes ' happening as ever, * {We are falling behind in our --ability to respond to calis,’”’ Ter- -Tace:.RCMP . Inspector Larry “Yeske says. ‘The public expects Aug to’ respond, ‘put there comes a - > ‘point at.which we just don’t have , the horsés to be able to do that.”’ = Yeske says .that although the crime, Tate has fallen, the popula- ‘tion has gone up and Terrace po- lice face increased demands on -their time. - “Our calls for service have ' Acfinitely increased,’’ he says. -pe'Yeske spells out the, con- : ‘sequences in a recent report to ae aly council. 3*Qur members do not have the ‘time for preventative patrols, This “usually leads to an erosion in “public ‘confidence because many -Ancidents happen that appear to aw ‘go unchecked. We must address ~ “this situation to prevent public a confidence from falling.” = ROMP slatistics record drops in . ‘downtown break-ins, vandalism, “impaired driving and hit-and- / TMS... ~.¢. But the number of sexual as- sault. cases investigated has nearly doubled in two years to 97 cases ve in 1992, i ‘Many adults who were victims “OF childhood sexual abuse con- “tinue to come forward. “You get the locals and he out-of-towners. They ‘get together, sip a few.back and the fun starts. And we “have to get in between them. ” “There are a lot of older cases oming out,’” Yeske says. ‘Cases here the abuse happened 10, 20 30 years ‘ago.’” “J's disheartening to see that ere was so much.”’ es. in. residential break-ins, quor ‘violations, and drug of- “fences. Increasingly, Yeake says, police are tuning to the community {t- If fo, shoulder the burden. ‘Police also record sharp in- THE TOWN Inspector Larry Yeske He says the Vandal Watch and Neighbourhood Watch programs are playing a key role in prevent- ing crime. “‘We're finding in the areas where there is the Neighbourhood Watch, there’s next io nothing for break-ins.” Terrace RCMP are also training move auxilliary officers this year, “They're strictly -volunteers,’” Yeske says. ‘“These are com- munity people who come out to help.’’ Terrace RCMP has a total staff of 60, which includes 39 officers. It also makes use of an additional 12 auxilllary officers. Yeske hopes the Neighbour- ‘hood Watch program’ will help reduce the number of break-ins. Increased patrols of the downtown core — including the introduction of foot patrols — have driven thieves out to the residential areas, he says. “T think there has been a tremendous increase in substance abuse,” Yeske adds, Cocaine is presently the drug of choice In Terrace, he says. ; But booze is still cited as a major factor in most violent crimes -—- from bar fights to spousal assaulls to rapes and im- paired driving. “We're in a frontier area 1 where you work hard and you play hard,” Yeske says, pointing out Terrace is a ‘core’ city where many people come for entertaln- ment. **You get the locals and the out 263 in 1982 Crime in Terrace = 1990 ASSAULTS SEXUAL ASSAULTS 97 in 1992 Slr ete vient! rns BREAK-INS BREAK-INS RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL 255 in 1992 123 in 1992 IMPAIRED HIT ANDRUN BRAUG F DRIVERS OFFENCES OFFENCES 208in 1992 _ - 1 60 in 1992 107 in 1992 fesapbe tad np ad MM = 19902 Tpit pw teil guy VANDALISM THEFT FROM =- SHOPLIFTING CARS 292 in 1992 239 in 1992 589 in 1992 posameaeme Fabs bia rere reo a ee that salisfies:a number of con- of-towners, They get together, sip a few back and the fun starts. And we have to get in between them.” Some other highlights from the RCMP’s 1992 crime analysis: ¢ The three areas with the most © break-ins were ‘Thorhill, the. Horseshoe area, and the Wood- | land and Kalum Gardens Apatt-— ments, ¢ Vandalism dropped 12.7 per cent. Five Vandal Watch rewards were given out. * Nearly 22 per cent more shoplifters were apprehended. The report credits increased store security, more high-tech store security systems, and better train- ing of staff in spotting and ap- prchending shoplifters. * Bike thefls are down 11.5 per cent. The Terrace Fire Depart- _ ment is continuing its bike mark- ing program. Several expensive bikes were recovered last year, the report notes, but were never claimed because owners don’t be- lieve their bikes will ever be found and often don’t bother to report the theft. OFFENCES PER THOUSAND POPULATION =~ 185 ~~ Our Crime Rate 2d5 4 att 1992 fg nBe, 4990 ftonB.c, 1989 filn 8.6. 1991 H7inBS, TE Save this parcel Dear Sir: I am wriling this letter in response to the rezoning ap- plication for a 10-acre: parcel of land north of Parkside Schocl, off Eby St. Another development in the horseshoe area, more houses, more tax base. Any sidewalks? No, Any concem for Howe Creek? No. (It gets put in a culvert.) What about thal creek bed that winds through the area north of the soccer field. Any landscape planning there? No. dt will be re-directed in a ditch), What about the 5 per cent al- location for parkland? No (The developer intends to buy out that option.) What about natu- ral springs, ducks, etc.? Sorry, they have to go. ~ But do these details really matter? Afier all this proposed development is just a hop skip ‘away from schools and acres ‘| of soccer fields, and that’s all preenspace isn’t it? *. ‘Except [I shouldn't walk the ‘dogs on a soccer field, and you're not supposed to ride a bike on them, and ifs not a good idea to let your kids play on them if they’ve been sprayed or fertilized... Okay, enovgh already. There’s no doubt the Horse- shoe area is a desirable place | to live, and or our population grows, so will our need for walking areas, trails and multl- use greenspace, The city councillors may consider sidewalks too costly in our overall town develop- _| ment, bul a network of walking trails and the pur- chase/preservation of the 10- acre parcel on Eby St. at the ripdese nf, the wbangh) Gp athe. rs ae) ‘Horseshoe. Area).ds -an option Terns aint mo) cerns, These concerns are the al- location of green space to off- set our growing residential de- velopment, the completion of trails and walking/bike riding areas that presently exist, the potential development of bicycle tails close to our dense residential populalion, and the preservation of some natural landscape for school use within reasonable walking dis- tance of schools. When mayor Jack Talsira said to the media ‘‘if people want trails they can walk ‘Ter- race Mountain trail’, he summed up what appears to be Terrace council’s present: aiti- tude ioward residential devel- opment, Greenspace is only as good as ils potential for new houses. ‘| Now if the housing starts are an indication of our future ex- pansion as a city then we need some direction within our council that develops a sense .Jof community and all ils, varied requirements, The 10-acre parcel of land J off Eby Street, has much more potential in its natural siate [than it will ever will as hous- ing. Let's not pave paradise and put up yet another parking lot Yours truly, : Tan Gordon, Terrace, B.C. More on Page A7 A visit The man in the picture is Preston Manning. He is the leader of the Reform party. Manning was here on a visit last week. . The lady in the photo is Kathy Floritto. She is get- ting an autograph for her daughter, Claire. Manning says the Reform party will do well : in the a next election. There are a lot of homes being built this year. Up to the end of May, 55 home permits were given out... Bob Lafleur is in charge of permits at the city. He thinks as many as 100 year. were built, homes could be built this. Last year, 82 homes More homes Duplexes and other kinds of housing are also being built. Lafleur thinks 130 hous- ing units could be built in total. . The. city gave out permits worth $9.5. mil- lion in construction to the end of May, . Things are also busy in Thornhill.