By ROY WOOD

In an attempt to make Oliver less “crime friendly,” the town council on Monday committed $3,200 over the next six weeks toward private night-time security patrols.

Extending the program into the future will be high on the list of things council considers as it prepares and finalizes the 2016 budget.

Frustrated by stubbornly high property crime rates in and around the town, Mayor Ron Hovanes said Monday that council had discovered “a small pocket of money” to pay for the short-term initiative. It will be “part of budget considerations going into next year.”

He said the town will consult with private security operators about their practices and procedures. “We’re just looking at what we can do as a council.”

With a detachment of just eight sworn members, Oliver does not have 24-hour policing. The idea of using private security is not so much catch criminals, but to have a presence in neighborhoods and industrial areas and elsewhere to act as a deterrent, Hovanes said.

The level of anxiety among residents was evident at a council meeting in late November when business owners in the industrial park handed council a 28-name petition seeking help with their theft and vandalism issues. At that meeting, councillor Jack Bennest broached the topic of employing private security personnel to supplement the police.

Earlier in Monday’s meeting, Hovanes reported to council about a meeting he had last week with senior local and regional RCMP officers.

The Mounties, said Hovanes, have presented a business case to senior officers for an additional two members for the Oliver detachment.

Another key outcome from the meeting was an agreement to hold a “public engagement” meeting with Oliver residents early in the new year. The idea is not just to hear from the public, but also to clarify the roles the police play and what individuals can do to make the community less “crime friendly.”