By ROY WOOD

The already stretched resources of the Oliver RCMP detachment face further strain as the opening of the new provincial jail promises a significant jump in police calls.

The local commander remains confident the detachment will receive a requested increase in staffing, but time is running short.

The Okanagan Correctional Centre north of the town officially opened last week and inmates will start arriving early in the new year.

Sergeant Blaine Gervais told council Monday that one of the two new officers requested for the detachment has arrived but he hasn’t received approval for the second. He recently re-submitted a business case in support of the additional manpower.

A key part of the argument is that the jail will result in an estimated “400 to 500 extra files per year.”

Every time there is an offence at the jail — an assault or a theft or whatever — the local Mounties have to respond. And, Gervais said, the cases tend to be time consuming because there are usually many people involved.

A unit from Penticton will investigate major crimes committed by inmates, but even then local police may be called in to do the initial investigation.

As well, he said, police officers are often required to escort sick or injured inmates to hospital.

The approval that Gervais is working on would bring the Oliver detachment to nine sworn members. However, he pointed out, two of the current eight officers are out on long-term leave.

Gervais used his quarterly report appearance to introduce council to new detachment member Corporal Christina Tarasoff.

She outlined her broad experience, mostly in the Richmond detachment, where she was involved in airport security, general investigations, serious crimes and the domestic violence unit.

She and her husband, a member of the federal detachment at Osoyoos, plan to be in the Okanagan for the long term.

“We love it here. … We want to retire here,” she said.