The Delta Police Department is working on coming up with a plan to patrol and enforce the miles of provincial highway within its jurisdiction as well as crossings including the Alex Fraser Bridge, but it will be challenging.
That’s according to Police Chief Neil Dubord during his presentation to the Delta Police Board last week (Oct. 19), commenting on the BC Highway Patrol’s (BCHP) plan to withdraw from responding to traffic-related calls on the network.
Noting his office already receives complaints almost daily about accidents, reckless driving and speeding on the bridge, Dubord said the BCHP will likely withdraw its current service by January 2024.
He said his department is certainly “going to be stretched” to be able to figure out a plan.
“All you need is a little bit of rain and that traffic even gets worse. It’s something we take very seriously. It’s a priority in our Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan and certainly we’re very concerned about both traffic in the community and traffic on the major throughfares,” Dubord added.
The BC Highway Patrol (BCHP) said it will realign its service delivery model, resulting in the Delta Police Department becoming solely responsible for all traffic-related calls on the provincial highway network, including fatal collisions.
Dubord at a police board meeting earlier this year noted his department would face budget challenges as it would become fully responsible for 68-kilometres of provincial highway running though the municipality.
In addition to Delta, other communities that will be impacted include New Westminster, North Vancouver, Port Coquitlam, Richmond, Surrey, Hope, the districts of Kent, Mission and North Vancouver, as well as the Fraser Valley Regional District, Township of Langley and Village of Harrison Hot Springs.
In a statement to the Optimist this year, the BCHP noted that its mandate, outlined in BC RCMP Provincial policy, is to decrease the number of serious injury and fatal collisions on provincial highways through proactive enforcement, education the building of partnerships and the interception of illegal contraband.
The mandate has been in place throughout the province and has remained unchanged for at least the last 30 years. The Police Act establishes the responsibility for municipalities with populations over 5,000 to provide policing and law enforcement services within their municipal boundaries.
That includes, but is not limited to, all traffic-related calls for service on provincial highways within municipal boundaries, according to the statement.
The BCHP said it had communicated with police departments over the past couple of years of the plan which was granted provincial approval earlier this year.
