Using what Squamish RCMP Staff Sgt. Guy Pollock called a "plainclothes pedestrian spotter," local police this week handed out tickets for driving safety violations.
In four hours at two intersections in Squamish on Tuesday (Jan. 25), police handed out 24 tickets for seatbelt violations (either failing to use them or not having children properly restrained), 10 for using hand-held cell phones while driving, four for vehicle equipment problems, three for driver's licence-related offences, two for moving violations and one for disobeying a traffic light.
"We do this here as frequently as resources allow," Pollock said in a statement issued on Wednesday (Jan. 26).
Pollock said the operation should serve as a reminder to drivers that "safe driving is a serious responsibility" and that failing to adhere to laws concerning seatbelt use, the use of electronic devices while driving, and proper vehicle maintenance contribute to needless collisions and injuries.
Drunken man arrested
On Thursday (Jan. 20), ambulance paramedics asked for police assistance with a drunken man at a restaurant along Highway 99. The man had entered the restaurant drunk and caused a disturbance. The man refused treatment, but was unable to care for himself, Pollock said.
When paramedics had medically cleared him, the man was arrested for causing a disturbance by being drunk in public. He was lodged in police cells until he was sober. His dog was taken to the district animal shelter, Pollock said.
Wrong-way walker, friend reunited
On Sunday (Jan. 23) at 6 p.m., Squamish RCMP received a report that a man wearing only a T-shirt was walking northbound on Highway 99. Police located the man north of the Alice Lake intersection. He was drunk and told the officer he was walking home to West Vancouver, Pollock said.
The officer told the man he was walking in the wrong direction. At about the same time, a friend of the man contacted police to report that he couldn't find his friend. The two were reunited so that the man in the T-shirt could get home safely, Pollock said.
Gun licences not yet transferred
On Jan. 19, Squamish RCMP received a notice from the Canadian Firearms Registry regarding a man whose firearms licence had expired.
An investigator contacted the man's home and learned that the licence holder had died a few years ago, but that the man's firearms were still in the possession of a family member. The family member, though, had not yet had the firearms registration transferred. The guns' new owner was advised to have the registration transferred and that police would follow up to ensure this occurs within a reasonable timeframe.
