City reinforces RCMP with new hires

Contrary to what you might expect from watching the movies, modern police work doesn’t just involve running down bad guys. There’s a heavy dose of paperwork involved, not to mention a myriad of other duties that don’t make for good television.

But at the same time, there’s a growing demand from the public for boots on the ground as public safety has become one of the top concerns for residents in many communities, including those in Kelowna.

This has led to the emergence of hybrids – civilian personnel who don’t have the full status of police officers but help alleviate the workload of regular frontline officers who might otherwise be kept away from the street by these administrative duties.

While civilian personnel have long been used to backstop regular police officers, Kelowna RCMP say a new position has emerged, that of the watch support officer.

The City of Kelowna has recently created four such positions, according to media relations officer Ryan Watters.

“The primary goal of the WSO is to support the heavy workload of RCMP officers, as they are qualified to handle several issues that do not necessarily require a frontline member response,” Watters explained in a media release.

“A WSO is eligible to receive calls from the public, assess the call and then determine an appropriate action.

“They can also retrieve and process exhibits, video surveillance, manage curfew checks and DNA [samples].”

Watters said the regional RCMP detachment now has four watch support officers, who carry the status of peace officers, with one assigned to each shift, or watch.

“The [watch support officers] have become an integral component of our detachment’s frontline policing duties, as they have allowed our officers more time to focus on priorities such as community safety initiatives, property crime and proactive enforcement,” said watch commander Brad Swecera.

A primary focus for the officers in Kelowna will be the summer tourist season when local RCMP receive numerous calls around lost or stolen property, where there is no imminent danger to the victims but when frontline officers are otherwise engaged, Watters said.

One area where the officers are frequently called upon is the handling and collection of CCTV video footage, both as evidence and to help identify suspects.

“The WSO’s are watching an incredible amount of video footage and by doing so have been able to identify suspects and their criminal trends,” Watters added.

“The efficiency of this team has aided in the identification of repeat offenders and groups of individuals working together to commit property crimes.”

Watters said with Kelowna’s burgeoning population, demand for the services of the watch support officers will only increase.