The boys in blue showed up to speak at Port McNeill’s last council meeting.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Andy Phillips was invited to attend Port McNeill council on Feb. 4 to discuss his third quarter report (October-December 2018), and the number of files that the RCMP have opened.
“The files are fairly unremarkable, which I just love,” laughed Phillips. “I’ve been other places where the numbers are crazy … Port McNeill’s a great town.”
During the third quarter of 2018, the Port McNeill RCMP Detachment generated 417 total files (Port McNeill, Zeballos/Oclucje/Ehattesaht, Kyuquot, Sointula/Woss/Undeveloped areas), which is up from 362 for the same period last year.
“I looked through the numbers and the difference is mostly administrative stuff, so it’s not anything to be concerned about in the least,” noted Phillips. “The only ones that are bigger numbers are motor vehicle crashes, and that’s because it’s the season. Most were fender benders, there was only one really significant crash during that time period.”
Files listed in the report from Port McNeill RCMP’s third quarter:
7 assaults (3 Port McNeill, 2 in Zeballos);
3 sexual assaults (3 in Port McNeill);
5 missing persons (4 in Port McNeill);
2 break and enter to residence (1 in Port McNeill);
1 break and enter to business (1 in Port McNeill);
5 mischief complaints (3 in Port McNeill, 1 in Zeballos);
8 mental health act (7 in Port McNeill);
6 shoplifting (6 in Port McNeill);
0 theft from motor vehicle;
14 false alarms (3 in Port McNeill);
4 noise bylaw (3 in Port McNeill);
9 breach of peace (6 in Port McNeill);
15 unspecified assistance (12 in Port McNeill);
21 Abandoned 911 (13 Port McNeill, 1 in Zeballos);
15 motor vehicle collisions (7 in Port McNeill, 3 in Zeballos);
4 drug files (4 in Port McNeill);
3 breach of probation (2 in Port McNeill, 1 in Zeballos);
11 cause disturbance (7 in Port McNeill);
6 impaired driving (4 in Port McNeill).
Phillips also listed two significant police investigations that happened during this period:
A Nov. 19 two vehicle collision on highway 19, where both drivers were taken to hospital with one of them receiving significant leg injuries. RCMP Traffic Collision Reconstructionist attended the scene and conducted an extensive investigation which is still ongoing. Slippery road conditions may have played a role in the collision. Alcohol, drugs and speed were not factors in the crash.
“It was a head on collision right around Seven Mile,” Phillips said. “Two vehicles in kind of slippery weather, and one of the drivers was pretty seriously hurt, it took firefighters a long time to get her out.”
On Dec. 11, Port McNeill RCMP received a bomb threat from Sunset Elementary School. As a precaution the school was briefly evacuated while police ensured the threat was a hoax and there was no threat to safety. The investigation later showed that the threat was indeed just a hoax by a student in the school.
“It ended up being a childhood prank, someone thought it would be funny to put a note into the printer and say they were going to blow up the school, and in this day and age we take that stuff seriously,” added Phillips.
Coun. Derek Koel asked about the drug files opened. “I was curious about the four drug charges, was it possession charges, dealing, are you able to comment on anything about that?”
“The ones that are on there are more geared towards the idea of trafficking,” noted Phillips. “Port McNeill doesn’t have a huge substance abuse issue compared to lots of other places I’ve worked.”
To read the Port McNeill RCMP’s full report, click the link here.
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