Council May Consider Recovery Fee for Repeated Police Response to Some Properties
Prince George, B.C.- The City of Prince George already charges a fee police respond to a security alarm and it turns out to be a false alarm. The property owner can expect to pay $100. At least one City Councillor wonders if the City should also start charging property owners where police have been called on numerous occasions.The idea of charging problem property owners a recovery fee for police services rose during yesterday’s discussion on the fate of the business license for the Connaught Motor Inn.
RCMP Superintendent Warren Brown noted the Connaught has been the site for more than 600 calls for service over the past couple of years, and according to Supt. Brown, that’s only 10-25% of the time officers were at that site as they often have to go there for proactive work.
Those repeated visits mean officers who could be doing something else, are being tied up over and over again at one particular location.
Protective services eat up nearly 34% of the tax dollars collected by the City every year, and the budget for 2016 saw a boost in policing costs in order to provide a couple more “boots on the ground” for the Prince George RCMP.
Councillor Brian Skakun suggests he would be willing to make a notice of motion calling on his Council Colleagues to have Council look at instituting a recovery fee that would be levied against owners of such problem properties, just as property owners have to pay a recovery fee when police waste their time attending a false alarm.
Comments
Does anyone else see how this penalty might deter people from calling the cops?
Or possibly dealing with the problem themselves. Which would probably would end up with the property owner behind bars. Arresting the same people over and over again without consequences is the problem. L do believe that the Connaught brought this upon themselves.
Years ago the City placed planters and a bench in front of Morrison’s Mens Wear. The owner was constantly dealing with the crap that society dumped on his doorstep.
What I see is landlords that don’t give a crap who they rent to, having to cough up dollars to cover party houses.
The real issue us the courts. Some idiot waves a gun at someone in his 150th drug deal, the cops are called, they dude is arrested and a judge slaps his hand and sends him back to the scene of the perpetual crime in order to continue doing it again. The cops are called again and the cycle continues. Most of the calls to the Connaught were dealing with the same illegal issue perpetrated by the same crooked people.
how do we change it. I blame it on our Pure idiot Trudeau, who gave too much civil rights to criminals. Take back some of the constitution and make the criminals pay for their crimes. This will give the police and the judges something to work with, instead of slapping their hands and saying “bad person”.
Politicians we vote in has to make the changes.
The federal Liberals have been in for , what ,8 months ?
Harper was there for 9-10 years . and your going to blame the Liberals .
Harper lost .. get over it
you can try again at the next election
I think he was referring to Pierre Trudeau who gave us the constitution back in the 80s. He also gave us the young offenders act which gives teens the ability to commit crime with what seems impunity. Not sure if gulags and beatings are the answer, but the current situation isn’t working either.
My take though, is judges would love to give me time. There’s no room in the jail. Want harsher sentences, write your MLA and ask for more taxes to be directed from say – health care, education, forest management, to building jails. Or, maybe raise the PST. Either way, if you want these guys locked up, be prepared to pay for it somehow, some way.
Harper tried to toughen up the laws but dear leader with the violent disposition rolled the laws back.
This will make landlords more accountable who they rent to
In reality, the incidents will likely not be called in, giving the criminals more play room
Essentially the renter of the rooms will become liable for the fines. Thus eventually the hotels will loose their clients, thus will likely solve the problems.
In the meantime as the owner looses his cliental, he either has to renovate to attract new cleaner clients, or sell it. If he chooses to sell it than at which point a lien to the property is in place an the city recovers its pound of flesh.
To expidite the process, why not, make the first 24 calls per year are free, and after that, the next 15 is $100, next 15 is $200, next 15 is $300… etc. Thus, the city won’t be able to twist it around for other operations which needs assistance from RCMP, and should still be able to access it. We can not single out Connaught
24 freebees? This might be OK for the Connaught, but how about the duplex down the street? But then, hotel management may simply conduct freebee counts before they get too serious about corrective action!
Yes, the Landlord has to carry responsibility for his/her tenants and that means serious background checks before agreeing ‘to rent’! Invasion of privacy you say? perhaps, but necessary.
I absolutely agree there should be some type ‘recovery fee system’ in place – too much Police resources are wasted on these type of calls. But will such a system reduce crime? Not likely!
Looks like the owner of the Connaught makes a business of shoddy hotel/motel operations.
Say what, perhaps you may be too young. but I was referring to Justin’s father.
I’m in my mid 50’s
and your still blaming a guy who hasn’t been in power for over 30 years.
whatever
saywhat, you should read this entire text from David Frum, back in 2011! Read the whole thing, not just until you read the first statement that you don’t like!
Trudeau Sr. really screwed things up! Many of us have genuine concerns that with Trudeau Jr., the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!
ht tp://www.huffingtonpost.ca/david-frum/was-trudeau-a-disaster-fo_b_985517.html
The enraged Libs are priceless.. it was your leader who give the criminals all the rights you are bitching about. Now his protege will soften the laws even more, making the taxpayer responsible for all the crimes, and not the criminal.
Did any of you watch on how he handled the beheading of a Canadian? He wants to talk with ISIS, give them hugs.. the same as our murderers and rapists.
Once, many years ago, I got sucked into supporting a gent by the name of Brian – he had promised to get tough on crime and even have balanced the budgets. Guess what – nothing happened. Oh, I forgot the Brown Paper Bag.
BTW, your comment about our present PM is…well, not sane and not rational and not coherent. It is something one has gotten used to hear from the extreme right.
cops, doing proactive work what is this world coming too….oh wait That’s part of thier job..
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