Peachland council has asked the RCMP to increase their visibility in the community.
The request came during a presentation by West 琉璃神社 Staff Sgt. Brendan Dolan at council's Nov. 26 meeting. Mayor Patrick Van Minsel pointed to feedback from a recent district survey where about 50 per cent of respondents said they felt there wasn鈥檛 enough RCMP presence in Peachland.
鈥淚 know it鈥檚 a perception because I know you鈥檙e here,鈥� Van Minsel told Dolan. 鈥淪ometimes you鈥檙e not visible, but you鈥檙e here.鈥�
Dolan acknowledged the concern and said it鈥檚 something he plans to address.
鈥淲e do have to triage calls for service. By virtue of you living in a wonderful community here in Peachland, you don鈥檛 attract a high rate of criminality,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t's something I can take back to my detachment and pass on. You should be able to see an increase in that.鈥�
He also highlighted the strong community policing program in Peachland, which includes 14 volunteer members and a patrol vehicle.
鈥淭hey logged 575 hours between September 2023 and September 2024, which is substantial,鈥� Dolan said. 鈥淎lmost 4,000 kilometres driven of high-visibility patrols and 27 speed watch operations.鈥�
Council also sought Dolan鈥檚 opinion on reducing the speed limit on Highway 97 through Peachland. Currently, the speed limit alternates between 90 km/h and 70 km/h in sections between the Okanagan Connector interchange and Antlers Beach.
The district has long pushed the Ministry of Transportation to lower the speed limit to 70 km/h for the entire stretch. , there were 49 collisions in 2023 on this section of the highway, 19 of which involved injuries.
Dolan said he would not oppose lowering the speed limit. 鈥淢y first impression is that slower speed limits are generally safer,鈥� he said, adding that he would like to access more data on speeds and collisions in the area.
鈥淪peed limits are only effective if people believe they are being enforced,鈥� Dolan added. 鈥淚 would like to see speed enforcement and in general, traffic enforcement, increased in Peachland.鈥�
