Property and violent crimes rose in Pemberton last year, with reported incidents up to 236 from 160 in 2023. The number of traffic violation tickets issued also increased from 144 in 2023 to 407 in 2024.
During a May 27 council meeting, officials with the Pemberton RCMP dispatch explained that part of the surge could be attributed to an increased police presence in Pemberton, particularly around the Blackbird Bakery area.
“Rather than waiting for calls, they’re out there doing the enforcement [and] creating files, so that’s why there’s such a large increase in that, is just the presence alone,” said sergeant James Gilmour.
The biggest increases in violent crimes came from assaults, domestic violence and criminal harassment, which rose 60 per cent, 66 per cent and another 66 percent—totalling 86 incidents last year.
Gilmour noted that, more often than not, these violent crimes are committed by the same people, rather than a larger group of one-off offenders.
Theft from vehicles was the largest contributor to a 61 per cent increase in property crime. That class of theft, which rose from one incident in 2023 to 23 last year, occurred mostly at Joffre Lake due to visitors leaving valuables in plain sight in their parked cars. The RCMP said that public education efforts at Joffre and One Mile Lake, in partnership with BC Parks, are ongoing.
A report to council underscored that “the majority of these offences [involving vehicle theft] are occurring from travelling criminals who are passing through the Pemberton area.”
Increases in traffic violations, up 263 tickets compared to 2023, is attributed to a “large increase in traffic enforcement and [a] significant police presence in the Pemberton Valley Area,” according to the same report.
Total calls for service also rose by 27 per cent—1,620 in 2024 from 1,268 in the year prior.
Gilmour also noted that the increased police presence, proactive deterrence and zero-tolerance for public intoxication was contributing to more arrests.
“We are lodging prisoners and have the ability to do that more this year with our guards being there,” he told council. “So we actually went from about 100 prisoners a year to pushing 200 last year just to try and deter the behavior, which has shown effective.”
Gilmour and inspector Robert Dykstra also noted that, while there was an interest in pursuing a restorative justice program focusing on rehabilitation through reconciliation with an offender’s victims and community, the program wasn’t “really getting any traction right now.” He and Dykstra cited the need for consistent funding to support the program.
“Tribal [police] is the one that’s pushing it in this area, which would benefit us as well, and we’ll support them how we can, but there’s a lot to go into it,” said Dykstra. “It’s a funding thing, for the most part. We have to have funding in order to be able to support the infrastructure and the employees to take on the sort of justice role.”
That’s not to say it’s all bad news. Break-ins, total vehicle-involved collisions, false alarms and calls for mental health services are down, year over year.
Mayor Mike Richman asked about the state of mental health services, particularly as it pertains to a small but growing incidences of unhoused persons in Pemberton “from out of community, coming into town because it’s a friendly place.”
“It’s not about getting rid of the nuisance, it’s about coordinating with mental health services,” said mayor Richman. “Do we need to be advocating [or] allowing for more of these services? Are they available to you guys when you need them in the community?”
The RCMP said that, while the Pemberton clinic has been supportive, they still need resources and trained personnel to help do outreach and be in the field to potentially head off a full police response to an incident.
Mayor and council cited the proposed Foundry facility in the Harrow Road development as being a potential hub for mental health services. They later noted that the extent of services on offer in the site is currently up in the air; it’s yet to be decided whether the facility will be a satellite of the already-operating Foundry site in Squamish, or a standalone facility.
The RCMP also laid out some priorities for the year ahead, including the hiring of a community police officer, delivery of body-worn cameras, and purchase of two more police vehicles, an off-road vehicle and a drone to help with searches of missing persons.
Dykstra also reiterated his availability to discuss the “sticker shock” associated with the transition to a municipal police force (and covering 70 per cent of the costs associated with the new branch) once the Village crosses the 5,000 population mark.
