Police in Campbell River are coming off a record-breaking busy year.
In 2021, for the first time ever since modern reporting systems have been in place, the detachment’s call volume soared past 17,000, according to Cst. Maury Tyre.
Entering the new year, the Campbell River RCMP has been “busier than ever,” Tyre finds. “For the most part, our members have weathered the storm well and with a great deal of professionalism,” he explains.
Tyre says a “by-product” of more calls means less proactive work can be done, as the bulk of officers’ time is spent responding to calls and the subsequent investigations they create.
“Effectively, that means that there is less time available to prevent crime,” he says, while pointing to some recent calls that highlight what locals have been dealing with lately: cold weather and power outages.
On Dec. 15, 2021, someone was stuck in the luggage undercarriage of a tour bus parked on 11th Ave.
“Apparently, the 45-year-old male had sought refuge in the luggage carrier from the weather and closed the door, which locked him inside and then fell asleep,” Tyre says.
When the man woke up, he couldn’t open the door from the inside, so he started to knock and make as much noise as possible.
Police arrived on scene, a bus driver unlocked the compartment, and the man inside was uninjured.
Meanwhile, on Dec. 17, police were called to 16th Ave. at Peterson Rd., after a driver hit a hydro pole and took off. The crash left around 1,500 BC Hydro customers without power.
“Witnesses explained that a newer model blue/teal Chevy with a camper on the back had collided with the pole and then fled the scene,” Tyre says.
Under the Motor Vehicle Act, Tyre says drivers must remain at the scene of an accident and report it. As of Christmas Eve, police were still actively looking for the vehicle.
