Richmond Mounties have tasked city council with a difficult choice.
The RCMP are lining up their annual list of community safety objectives and have requested council to pick two out of the top three.
After consulting with council and the public and analyzing crime reports, the Mounties have short-listed pedestrian safety, commercial break and enters and personal theft/robbery in the downtown core.
An RCMP report presented to city councils community safety committee this week noted that, although pedestrian deaths are down from previous years, personal injury collisions with vehicles continue to rise.
Likewise, commercial break and enters have also spiked in the last year.
And the continuation of personal robberies in the downtown core has apparently identified a need for a comprehensive plan to deal with that particular crime.
Pedestrian safety should still be top priority because its not a pretty thing and its always the vehicle that comes off worst, said Coun. Evelina Halsey-Brandt.
They are all very worthy objectives, I wish we could do all three.
Coun, Ken Johnston agreed, but wanted to broaden the reach of any police voice beyond the earshot of elderly people.
It may seem like its just the elderly people that are getting knocked down, but its not just the old ones, said Johnston.
I see so many young people just strolling across the road without a care, we need to reach them too.
Although not on the priority list, Johnston asked Supt. Renny Nesset to focus some energy on the Steveston speedway, as he called it.
I still see it happening every time I drive along there, its dangerous, Johnston added.
Nesset noted that theres very little geographic resistance to speeding on that stretch of road, but that he would look into once more.
