Last week, corporal Terry Gillespie with the Burns Lake RCMP presented the detachment’s quarterly report to the Burns Lake council.
During the first three months of 2016, the Burns Lake RCMP received 685 calls for service within the detachment area. Of these files, 171 were drug or alcohol related.
Gillespie said the detachment will continue with its efforts to reduce drug and alcohol abuse by focusing on two specific drugs this year - fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Methamphetamine (also known as meth, chalk, crank, crystal meth and ice) is highly addictive, as more of the drug is used, tolerance develops. This means that more and more is needed to experience the desired effects.
Although the detachment hasn’t seized methamphetamine in Burns Lake, the RCMP suspects methamphetamine is currently being used in the area.
“That’s a huge concern,” said Gillespie. “If that catches on, crime skyrockets; it’s just so addictive.”
The Burns Lake detachment is also trying to prevent fentanyl from making its way to the Lake District.
Fentanyl is a synthetic narcotic that can be 80 times as potent as morphine and hundreds of times more potent than heroin. The substance can be masked in virtually any consumable product.
Over the past three years, there has been a steady increase in the number of illicit drug overdoses in which fentanyl was detected. Many of the people who died were believed to be recreational pot users who did not know they were ingesting fentanyl.
Although the RCMP has not seized fentanyl nor responded to any fentanyl-related overdose cases in Burns Lake, the detachment is taking a proactive approach to preventing fentanyl from reaching the region.
In order to safeguard RCMP operations, Gillespie said he can’t share any details of how the local detachment plans to target fentanyl and methamphetamine.
The Burns Lake RCMP encourages members of the public with information in regards to possession or trafficking to call the RCMP detachment at 250-692-7171, or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 if they wish to remain anonymous.
Spike in the number of break and enters
According to the Burns Lake RCMP’s quarterly report, Burns Lake saw a spike in the number of break and enters during the first three months of 2016 compared to the same period last year.
From Jan. 1 to March 31, 2016, there were 13 break and enters in Burns Lake. During the first three months of 2015, there were seven break and enters.
Gillespie said the Burns Lake RCMP has arrested two individuals involved in two separate break and enters that occurred this year. In addition, the detachment is also conducting an awareness campaign.
“We encourage members of the community to lock their houses, garages, and sheds,” said Gillespie. “We also encourage them not to leave high value items in plain view, to invest in video surveillance and alarms, and to be conscious that Burns Lake is not immune to property crime.”