Kamloops Mounties target prolific drivers
For years, Kamloops Mounties have been targeting the worst of the city’s criminals with their prolific-offender program.
The detachment has now created a new prolific list — this one for chronically bad drivers.
Kamloops RCMP Supt. Yves Lacasse said the program has local officers taking a proactive stance against repeat offenders on city streets.
“We target them,” he said.
“We target these people specifically. We don’t wait for them and see Sam on the street — we go after Sam.”
The detachment’s prolific-offender program started in 2007.
Since then, the city’s crime numbers have plummeted and Kamloops has become a model for other detachments of a similar size when it comes to crime reduction.
The program sees officers identify and target known prolific offenders.
These offenders are monitored closely and offered ways out of the criminal lifestyle.
Lacasse said prolific drivers will be monitored in much the same way.
“If somebody’s suspected, we will watch their home, their place of business,” he said.
“That’s what the guys do.”
The prolific-driver program started about six months ago, Lacasse said, and there are already 45 names on the list.
“We’re not talking about somebody who has one speeding ticket,” he said.
“These people are identified between a review from our analyst and also our traffic clerk, and knowledge from our traffic members.”
In addition to proactive targeting of problem drivers, the program also makes use of the detachment’s two automatic licence-plate reading vehicles, to determine if registered owners of cars and trucks are wanted on warrants or banned from driving.
With prolific-criminal offenders, Mounties sit down with the targets and explain to them the ramifications of a “prolific” tag.
Lacasse said that’s not the case with drivers, noting people identified probably don’t even know they are on a list.
Lacasse said the ultimate goal of the program is to improve safety on local roads.
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