Three out of five individuals deemed chronic property crime offenders in Nelson are in police custody as part of the province’s Chronic Property and Public Disorder Intervention Initiative.
Nelson Police were selected to participate in the pilot program in December.
Under the initiative, police identified five individuals whose persistent involvement in property crime and public disorder has affected downtown areas and commercial corridors.
Inspector Jason Jewkes told the Nelson Police Board on April 1 that three of the five individuals identified are now in custody.
According to Jewkes’ report, one individual is facing several charges, including two counts of break and enter, three counts of theft under $5,000 and one count of failing to comply with a release order.
A second individual is facing charges including three counts of theft under $5,000, four counts of failing to comply with probation, one count of failing to comply with a release order, one count of break and enter, one count of robbery, one count of uttering threats and one count of assault with a weapon.
A third individual is in custody for breach of a custodial sentence order.
Mayor Janice Morrison questioned whether police could add more individuals to the pilot beyond the initial five, and whether the remaining two individuals have been identified.
“So, we had identified obviously five people in the community, and three out of five are in custody. I’m just wondering, can we add more people to the list?”
Inspector Jewkes said at this point, the program is limited to five individuals, though that could change.
“Because it’s in the pilot stages, we’re limited to five. But one of the people we’ve identified on the list has tentatively be moved out of our area. So we’re just waiting for a definitive whether they’re coming back or not, and then we can potentially add someone else,” said Jewkes.
He added that individuals remain under supervision while in custody.
“So while they’re in custody, they’re still being monitored by probation and they have additional certificates.”
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