Date:

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Place:

Anderson Room

Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Derek Dang, Chair

Councillor Ken Johnston, Vice-Chair (arrived 4:46 p.m.)

Councillor Evelina Halsey-Brandt

Councillor Greg Halsey-Brandt

Councillor Bill McNulty (arrived 4:47 p.m.)

Also Present:

Councillor Sue Halsey-Brandt (arrived 4:50 p.m.)

Call to Order:

The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:45 p.m.

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Community Safety Committee held on Tuesday, March 15, 2011, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

Councillor Ken Johnston entered the meeting (4:46 p.m.).

Councillor Bill McNulty entered the meeting (4:47 p.m.).

Councillor Sue Halsey-Brandt entered the meeting (4:50 p.m.).

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

Tuesday, May 10, 2011, (tentative date) at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room

INTRODUCTION

Phyllis Carlyle, General Manager, Law & Community Safety, introduced Norm Lipinski, Assistant Commissioner.

A/Comm. Lipinski provided background information and noted that he has over 32 years of experience with the Edmonton Police Service.  He commented on the need to (i) reduce crime; (ii) reduce disorder; (iii) maintain traffic safety; and (iv) maintain public trust.

A/Comm. Lipinski concluded by stating that he looks forward to working with the Richmond RCMP to address Richmond specific issues.

In reply to a query from Committee, A/Comm. Lipinski advised that as District Commander, he oversees the operations of thirteen RCMP detachments in the lower mainland.

LAW AND COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT

1.

RCMP's Monthly Report – February 2011 Activities

(File Ref. No.:  09-5000-01) (REDMS No. 3177441)

Renny Nesset, OIC, Richmond RCMP, reviewed the RCMP’s statistics for February 2011.

In reply to queries from Committee, OIC Nesset advised that (i) business break and enters typically occur in the evening hours and (ii) distracted driving offences include driving while reading, driving while applying makeup etc.

Discussion ensued regarding the Hamilton community and the status of the recent increase in residential break and enters.

OIC Nesset spoke of the RCMP’s activities in an effort to address the situation in the Hamilton community.  He highlighted that since the apprehension of two individuals, the residential break and enters in the Hamilton community has significantly decreased.

Discussion ensued regarding the Stolen Auto Recovery (SAR) program and Lainie Goddard, Manager, RCMP Administration, advised that SAR volunteers notify the RCMP when a stolen vehicle is spotted and take no further action.

It was moved and seconded

That the OIC’s report entitled “RCMP’s Monthly Report – February 2011 Activities” dated March 11, 2011, be received for information.

CARRIED

2.

Community Bylaws – February 2011 Activity Report

(File Ref. No.:  12-8060-01) (REDMS No. 3177082)

Wayne Mercer, Manager, Community Bylaws, commented that downtown construction continues to impact pay-parking operations, therefore staff are exploring reimbursement of lost revenues.  Also, Mr. Mercer stated that staff are working on a strategy to address illegal hotels.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report entitled “Community Bylaws – February 2011 Activity Report” dated March 14, 2011, from the General Manager, Law & Community Safety, be received for information.

CARRIED

3.

Length Of Service For RCMP Members

(File Ref. No.:  09-5000-01) (REDMS No. 3181118)

OIC Nesset provided background information and in reply to queries from Committee advised the following:

§      

new RCMP members typically commit to a minimum of five years at the first detachment they are stationed at;

§      

many general duty members have four to five years of experience in the field prior to moving on to other areas; and

§      

the Client Services Sergeant is tasked with relationship building with external agencies and organizations.

It was moved and seconded

That the OIC’s report entitled “Length Of Service For RCMP Members” dated March 21, 2011, be received for information.

CARRIED

4.

LIVE SCAN TECHNOLOGY REPORT

(File Ref. No.:  09-5000-01) (REDMS No. 3182912)

OIC Nesset provided background information and noted that due to communication issues between interfaces, fingerprinting utilizing Live Scan is not possible at this time.  He noted that there are several pilot projects underway in BC and it is anticipated that these pilot projects address the interface communication issues.

OIC Nesset stated that he would address the backlog that has resulted from the Federal government’s recent implementation of stricter guidelines.

Councillor Sue Halsey-Brandt left the meeting (5:47 p.m.) and did not return.

It was moved and seconded

That the Richmond RCMP implement Live Scan Technology as soon as technically feasible, as outlined in the OIC’s report entitled “Live Scan Technology Report” dated March 22, 2011.

CARRIED

5.

RCMP MARINE VESSEL REPORT – SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

(File Ref. No.:  09-5000-01) (REDMS No. 3186283)

Discussion ensued regarding the proposed RCMP Marine Vessel program.  It was noted that the RCMP’s West Coast Marine Service has four high-speed patrol catamarans, which are responsible for policing the territorial waters of Canada from the Alaska border to the Washington border.

In reply to a query from Committee, Steve Ilott, Auxiliary Constable Coordinator, advised the RCMP’s catamarans patrol approximately 17,000 kilometres of BC’s coastline, much of which is not accessible by road.  He noted that the proposed marine vessel program would allow the Richmond RCMP to patrol Richmond’s waters.

Discussion took place regarding budgetary implications and Ms. Carlyle advised that the proposed marine vessel program’s costs would be absorbed within the current budget.

As a result of the discussion, the following motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the OIC’s report entitled “RCMP Marine Vessel Program” dated February 25, 2011, be endorsed as pilot program; and

(2)

That staff be directed to review the RCMP Marine Vessel Program at the end of the summer boating season and report back on the various aspects of the program.

CARRIED

6.

FIRE Chief Briefing

(Oral Report) 

None.

7.

RCMP/OIC Briefing

(Oral Report) 

(i)

ICBC Recognition of Richmond Volunteers

OIC Nesset highlighted that in recognition of National Volunteer Week, April 10 to April 16, 2011, ICBC thanked Richmond volunteers for their continued support in making BC roads safer.  A copy of the media release is attached to and forming part of these Minutes as Schedule 1.

8.

MANAGER’S REPORT

None.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (6:06 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Community Safety Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Tuesday, April 12, 2011.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Councillor Derek Dang

Chair

Hanieh Floujeh

Committee Clerk