2023 a challenging but successful year for Prince George RCMP

While trying to find safe ways to get drugs off the street was challenging, as the RCMP had to adapt how they respond to certain situations, Wright said one success that directly relates to the problem is the opening of the new sobering centre. Explaining that the RCMP would usually hold someone in a cellblock if they were “under the influence of drugs or alcohol in public who wasn’t necessarily committing a criminal act,” Wright says the sobering centre gives the RCMP another tool to work with.

“This certainly gives us another option, a much better option, on where we can take these people and where they can have someone oversee them until they sober up and help connect them with services,” he said.

Another challenge that stood out to Wright was the high amount of homicides in Prince George and the area, as we had eight confirmed this year. This is a symptom of an increasing drug trade in Prince George, as Wright explained Prince George serves as a hub for many communities in Northern B.C. and the Yukon, and recently it’s seen more criminals congregate here.

“Some individuals from some of those gangs or organizations have tried to push into the illicit drug trade here. And that’s resulted in a number of the incidents we’ve seen this year. We’re really seeing some individuals from other locations, particularly the Lower Mainland and some parts of Alberta, really looking to push in and take control here,” he said.

The fight against organized crime and drugs is something the RCMP is always aware of, and Wright said the RCMP will continue to do whatever it can to prevent further incidents. On that note, Wright mentioned another success the RCMP had over the year was the repeat violent offender initiative, which he said helped the RCMP keep repeat offenders in custody. On top of that, recruitment numbers rose in 2023, another success.

Heading into 2024, Wright hopes to continue building on what’s working, and find ways to better address the challenges the RCMP faced in 2023.

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by Tommy Osborne

2023 a challenging but successful year for Prince George RCMP

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