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RCMP boost numbers for long weekend

The Whistler RCMP are boosting their resources for the Victoria Day long weekend to discourage some of the activities that the resort has experienced in the past, ranging from violence to underage drinking and vandalism.

The Whistler RCMP are boosting their resources for the Victoria Day long weekend to discourage some of the activities that the resort has experienced in the past, ranging from violence to underage drinking and vandalism.

According to Sergeant Shawn LeMay, additional officers from detachments in the Lower Mainland will be boosting patrol numbers in the village and throughout the resort.

The provincial Integrated Road Safety Unit will be in town doing roadside checks for drinking and driving, open or improperly stored alcohol, seatbelt use and speeding. Members of the Integrated Gang Taskforce from the Lower Mainland will also be returning to be on the watch for any gang activity and keeping tabs on any known gang members who may turn up. If an incident does occur, police dog teams will also be joining patrols.

A police dog team quickly apprehended Shane Richard in 2007 after he shot and killed another man after an altercation in the village, Whistler's first reported murder in many years.

Sergeant LeMay warns that there will be zero tolerance for open alcohol and that bike patrols have already started visiting local parks. Alcohol-related fines, he says, can be rather large.

• A minor found in possession of alcohol will be investigated and fined $230.

• Consuming liquor in a public place is $230, and open liquor is $100.

• Being inebriated in public carries a fine of $115.

• Having open liquor in a motor vehicle, even when the driver is not partaking, is a $230 fine.

• Selling or buying liquor for minors results in a court appearance, as does allowing a minor to consume liquor in an area you control.

Sgt. LeMay says village RCMP patrols will start in the morning this year to establish a presence early, and that patrols will also be visiting neighbourhoods to respond to any loud house parties.

The RCMP is also working closely with hotels this year, which have instituted their own "no tolerance" programs. Hotels will be working to ensure that the person registered for the room is staying in the room, and limiting the number of people who can stay there. They will also be watching for alcohol during check-in.

The May long weekend has traditionally been a party weekend as well as a graduation tradition for students from the Lower Mainland. However, with the additional police presence the number of incidents in recent years is well down from the past, when fights, public drunkenness, vandalism and other incidents were common.

 

Impaired drivers catch themselves

The Whistler RCMP apprehended two impaired drivers over the past week, in both cases pulling over vehicles for other offences.

At 3:55 a.m. on May 14 the RCMP stopped a vehicle leaving the day lots after they observed the vehicle failing to stop and speeding. The driver, a 27-year-old Whistler male, was issued a roadside test which he failed. He then provided two samples of .120 at the detachment. He was issued a 90-day provincial driving suspension and is facing charges of impaired driving and driving over 0.08.

On Saturday, May 15 at 1:36 a.m. the RCMP stopped a southbound vehicle near Alta Vista after they observed it swerving in its lane. The driver, a 29-year-old Whistler male, later provided samples of .130 and received a 90-day prohibition as well as charges for impaired driving and over 0.08.

In addition, the RCMP handed out three 24-hour driving prohibitions this past week, including two within a few minutes of each other in the early morning of May 15.

 

Suspected jewelry thief arrested

On the afternoon on May 15 the RCMP received a report of a theft in progress at a local jewelry store. The suspects had left before the police arrived but based on witness descriptions they were stopped in the village and found in possession of the missing jewelry.

A 47-year-old male from Vancouver is facing the charge of Theft Under $5,000 and will make his first court appearance on June 16.

 

RCMP taking stock of cyclists

Sergeant Shawn LeMay has a message for cyclists in Whistler and it's to play safe. Recently he has noticed several cyclists riding on roads and the highway without helmets, riding against traffic and riding after dark without proper lights or reflectors. Cyclists should obey the laws, or may be subjected to fines he says.

Riding without a helmet is a $29 offence in British Columbia. Riding without lights after dark, carrying passengers (doubling), riding against traffic and riding without "reasonable consideration" for the safety of others carry a fine of $109. As well, the municipal bylaw department can charge fines of up to $500 for individuals biking on the Village Stroll.

"First and foremost we want it to be safe, we don't want anybody getting hurt," said Sgt. LeMay. "I've seen too many close calls and situations that are potentially dangerous."

Adults are strongly encouraged to wear helmets because, says Sgt. LeMary, "the kids are watching us."

 

Lose your I.D.? Check with RCMP

The RCMP have stockpiled almost 100 personal identification cards collected over the past winter, and are asking anyone who may have lost their I.D. to claim it at the Whistler RCMP detachment in the village.