A ‘gang’ that has been gaining more and more notoriety in the Columbia Valley is still active in and around Invermere, but the local RCMP detachment has taken the steam out of their nefarious ways.

Reporting to District of Invermere council last night (Oct. 23), Columbia Valley RCMP Detachment NCO S/Sgt. Marko Shehovac said the rapid decline of the “Street Kings” is due to the Prolific Offender Program (POP) officers have been adhering to.

“The majority of the crime in the community is done by the minority,” Shehovac said, explaining the purpose of the POP, which sees officers focusing efforts on known offenders.

An example he pointed to is the ‘Street Kings,’ a group led by “a 30-year-old” who acts like a teenaged punk, Shehovac said, informing council “they’re all out of town; we make life very uncomfortable for them.”

With ties to Cranbrook and Saskatchewan, the ‘gang’ is a “pack of idiots,” Shehovac said. “Right now the leader of that group is in jail.”

Coun. Justin Atterbury told the Staff Sergeant that he is happy police efforts are bearing fruit.

“I am glad you are focusing on the Street Kings. I heard they were all gone,” he said.

Shehovac said he isn’t surprised the ‘gang’ has fallen apart.

“They’re just a bunch of punks and bullies,” he spat. “We put on the heat – this group disappears. They’re cowards one-on-one. We get them in the cell block and they cry like babies.”

A vague ‘plus’ to the group, he continued, is “they tend to prey on their own people” and innocent folks tend to be left alone.

Most of that group’s offences are drug related, and drugs and alcohol remain serious problems in the valley, he said as part of his quarterly report to council.

The Columbia Valley Detachment is once again operating with a full complement of officers, Shehovac told council. Three new officers have arrived, including two cadets fresh from Regina and an another officer with five year’s experience.

“It’s good news,” Shehovac said, noting the detachment had “a busy summer. But once the Radium Car Show is over we reclaim our territory and get back to normal.” The period from May (Victoria Day) long weekend to the annual car show in mid September is the busiest for police in the valley.

An extra $10,000 in funding for seasonal policing paid dividends, he said, pointing out that it resulted in 15 extra patrols and 132 extra hours worked by officers on their days off (overtime). The extra time allowed the RCMP to get out in their boat on Lake Windermere and to conduct ATV patrols.

Coun. Spring Hawes asked Shehovac about people drinking at Kinsmen Beach during the summer. The open nature of their behaviour “was a bit of an eye opener,” she said.

“That’s where our bike patrols come in handy,” Shehovac replied, noting he encourages his officers to try and spent an hour a shift on bike patrols.

“If manpower is there in the summer the guys like to jump on their bikes” and conduct patrols, including at the beach.

Shehovac said he also “walks the beach” whenever he can, to be visible.

Ian Cobb/e-KNOW

Article Share