West Kelowna Community Policing Role
West Kelowna Community Policing
An active community is an effective community. West Kelowna’s men and women in uniform appreciate the support they receive from trained volunteers who are willing to donate their time to run programs and services that help make West Kelowna a safer, happier and healthier place to call home.
The West Kelowna Community Policing Society is a volunteer, community-based organization. The society’s role is to work under the direction of the RCMP, ICBC, emergency services groups and enforcement agencies to operate a number of programs.
Boat Check Team
Safety First! That is the motto of the Boat Check Team. The first priority is the make sure each boat is the safest it can be. All Safety equipment is checked and reviewed as well as all appropriate licencing. The next priority is protecting our beautiful Okanagan Lake. A final check is done looking Zebra and Quagga mussels on each boat. So far, the record is perfect, no invasive species.
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Citizens Patrol
West Kelowna Citizens Patrol is a community of fellow citizens who volunteer approximately five hours each month to help make the District of West Kelowna a better place for everyone to call home. We work together with the RCMP, ICBC, BC Emergency Services and the District of West Kelowna Emergency Services.
Citizen Patrol volunteers are observers and reporters only while on patrol on either day or evening shifts. Patrol members are not expected, nor are they allowed to get directly involved if they observe an offence. In no way would you put yourself into harm’s way… it is the responsibility of the police, fire and ambulance personnel to deal directly with the situation. In addition, they are constantly on the watch for other community emergency situations such as traffic collisions, fires or citizens who may need assistance, to name just a few. Speed Watch and stolen vehicle searches, on behalf of ICBC, are also duties that are performed by some patrol members.
Traffic Watch Program
TRAFFIC WATCH volunteers monitor driving behavior and share their results with the RCMP and ICBC. The patrol van and WKCP volunteers can often be seen in our community equipped up with radar and an electronic board that displays passing motorists’ speeds, reminding them to stay within the speed limit. Other times volunteers are noting the number of drivers who are distracted by talking on cell phones or by texting, and sometimes they note the number of motorists who are driving without using their seat belts.
Stolen Auto Recovery
Working under the authorization of the RCMP as well as ICBC and from a national data base of all BC licensed vehicles, reported stolen cars, trucks, trailers, motorcycles, snow machines etc. Citizens Patrol members are able to verify whether a vehicle is stolen or not by simply entering the license plate number into their onboard computer. The stolen vehicle data base is updated on a daily basis by the British Columbia Crime Prevention Association and is in turn updated by Citizens Patrol members prior to each patrol. Should a stolen vehicle be identified, the Patrol will inform the RCMP and maintain observation of the vehicle until the police arrive.
Fraud Awareness
The West Kelowna Community Policing Fraud Awareness program has created a new website on fraud awareness. The site documents all types of scams, schemes and frauds in order to inform WKCP volunteers and members of the general public of current fraudulent schemes.
The program will continue to develop and expand as needs are identified in order to make West Kelowna residents more fraud aware.
Seniors Contact Program
The West Kelowna RCMP, through its Community Policing Offices, has initiated a Seniors Contact Program. Seniors who qualify will be contacted by phone daily from 9:00 am to 11:00 am, Monday to Friday.
The Seniors Contact Program is for any senior who does not have a caregiver, friend, homemaker, etc. checking or visiting them on a daily basis.
