'We took back the city': How Williams Lake volunteers, offenders, achieved, building, capital

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'We took back the city': How Williams Lake saved itself from being a crime capital
Williams Lake citizens, whose community once held the title of crime capital of Canada, have taken back their town.

Officials say the victory was achieved by locking up repeat offenders, building bridges with native leaders and enlisting dozens of citizen volunteers to nab crooks.

“We took back the city,” says one-term Mayor Kerry Cook. “Everybody felt like things were out of control. There was a feeling that this is just the way it was and it happens everywhere. We couldn’t accept it.”

In 2008, the city of Williams Lake was given the dubious distinction of being No. 1 in the country in a report called the Crime Severity Index.

The Statistics Canada report, which gives murder more weight than mischief, examined cities with populations over 10,000. In violent crime, Williams Lake was No. 2 nationally for 2008.

But with auto thefts down 71 per cent and break-and-enters dropping by 40 per cent in 2010 as compared to 2008, the city is giving itself a pat on the back for a job well done. The unwanted label has been ditched, with Williams Lake giving up its top-dog status in 2009 stats.

“It has been a total transformation,” said Panago Pizza owner Wendell Blois, whose north-end restaurant was a repeated victim of thugs armed with bear spray and machetes.

“Everyone was in fear. Before, store owners needed to make sure you weren’t wearing a bandana over your face before they buzzed you in with magnetic locks. Now, it’s no longer necessary.”

But amid the successes, locals are taking stock of how it became a crisis.


Reckless behaviour


In 2007, thieves went to great lengths to smash the shatterproof glass windows at Tom Wong’s sporting goods store.

Someone even stole a jeep and aimed it at the store, Caribou Ski Source for Sports, hoping to come away with skates and skis.

“He didn’t make it through because there were concrete blocks in the way,” says Wong.

Another time someone hurled a heavy manhole cover, but the double-paned windows are virtually impregnable because a sheet of laminate holds them together.

“Most break-and-enters are caused by the same people. Their activities start up as soon as they’re released from jail,” Wong says.

A security firm still checks on the doors several times each night, and 32 video-surveillance cameras have been installed on his properties.

Wong knows just how reckless thieves can be.

“When they’re under the influence of drugs, they tend not to care. One videotaped incident showed a man taking 10 minutes to beat through a window. A small hole was created, but he cut himself up really good while reaching in to get stuff. He was later seen bleeding all over the bathroom floor of a nearby convenience store.”

Wong’s problems were greatly reduced after he installed roll-down shutters at a cost of $20,000.


Cowboy country


The city’s past is tied to the frontier character of the surrounding ranches, with an emphasis on things like a local museum that hosts B.C.’s Cowboy Hall of Fame.

That past is symbolized for the rest of the province by the famous Williams Lake Stampede, a liquor-fuelled rodeo held every July 1 weekend.

“The rodeo has quietened down considerably over the years. It’s a lovely place to live,” says Sheila Mortensen, longtime owner of a glass-repair business. “It’s not a drunken, brawling place, but we do have issues.”

There are slightly more than 11,000 people in the mostly blue-collar town, with forestry, mining and ranching providing employment. But with job prospects dim, many young people move away.


A prolific project


RCMP Staff Sargeant Warren Brown says officers were overworked when he arrived in the spring of 2009, despite a $3 million annual budget.

Forty officers were run off their feet, handling as many as 40 or 50 calls a night in what was the highest municipal caseload per capita in Canada.

“The officers were handling so many calls they never had a chance to do proper investigations,” he says.

One of the turning points came in 2008 when Williams Lake became one of six B.C. cities to take part in a pilot project targeting prolific offenders.

“Very few people, perhaps 25, were committing the majority of offences,” says Brown.

The target group was aged 18 to 30 and unemployed, and Brown says a significant portion were aboriginals who lived on First Nations land outside the RCMP’s jurisdiction.

“We didn’t forge great relations with the First Nations leaders initially, but we tried to initiate progress with things like attending traditional ceremonies and meeting with the leaders. . . . The chiefs have been very supportive. We have really bridged that gap,” he says.

Repeat offenders are held to the conditions of their probation orders. If the order says a person is supposed to be at home asleep at 3 a.m., it is enforced.

“We visit prolific offenders, knock on their doors and let them know we’re out there,” Brown says.


‘Very disheartening’


Mortensen and her husband are used to getting up in the middle of the night to repair broken windows.

As owners of Lake City Glass, their truck is always prepared with fresh sheets of glass ready to be cut and fitted to local businesses.

“The work has its moments when it is minus-30 degrees outside. There has been a lot of damage over the years. I’ve seen everything from rocks to crowbars. They’re quite ingenious. We found a rustic pull-cart which was used to drag a rock down the street and throw it through the window,” she says.

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“They break into a store if they see something they can sell quickly. They’re doing drugs and they want a quick turnaround in time and money.

“It’s very disheartening when businesses can’t afford glass insurance. It’s a small community. Not a lot of money is going around.

“We have a social issue in this town. There are a lot of prolific offenders who don’t want to change . . . It’s very troubling to see a segment of your community that cannot be healed,” she says.

The cost of a big glass pane is $1,000. At the height of the crime wave in 2007-08, the firm was receiving a half-dozen calls a month.

But Mortensen has seen the positive changes.

“Crime stats are down. It’s very nice. It gives me a full night’s sleep,” she says.


Citizens watch streets


Former cop Bob McIntosh, 68, has twice received recognition as citizen of the year for his community work.

“Something seems to be working,” he says.

He heads up a 50-person volunteer patrol, which assists police by alerting them to crimes. They do not try to confront suspects or make arrests.

“It gives people a sense of pride that our group is doing something. We like to think we’ve helped,” he says.

A typical weekend shift starts at 8 p.m. at the community police office, where distinctive jackets, vests and hats are donned. Volunteers pick up radios and head out onto the streets in two-person teams.

Their surveillance work includes watching drug deals on street corners and spotting known offenders walking out of supermarkets with stolen goods.

“I saw a guy steal a purse right out of a woman’s shopping cart as she was putting groceries in her car. He grabbed it and was gone,” McIntosh says. “A lot of women don’t realize their purse is sitting there for the picking. The criminals are opportunistic.”

The volunteers keep a close watch on Botanio Park, a 17-hectare spread of lawns and fir trees which is supposed to be a place for peaceful respite from workday cares.

But McIntosh says it is also a hangout for mischief. There is a liquor store nearby, but not all the bottles are government-certified.

“A lot of the crime is alcohol-related. We find Listerine and Scope bottles,” says McIntosh, noting those brands are not being consumed for their breath-sweetening qualities. “We don’t want the park taken over by drinking. We want to make it safe for everybody.”


‘A huge sense of hope’


Success started to come when repeat offenders were locked up in jail.

“When a prolific offender is in jail, the community gets a break,” says Brown. “About half of them are in jail now.”

He says Williams Lake shed its unfavourable title in 2009. When new statistics become available, officials expect to see more improvements. Brown says everyone should be proud.

“Citizens, aboriginals and police all need to share in the success,” he says.

To maintain the momentum, Wong thinks more police are needed.

“The shortage of police is a bit like not having enough sandbags to cope with a flood . . . Politicians don’t want to raise taxes which businesses will have to absorb,” he says.

Mortensen would like to see a detox centre, but realizes it is unlikely to come.

The mayor says great strides have been made, but the fight isn’t over.

“We certainly still have things to work out, but we’re optimistic moving forward,” Cook says. “There is a huge sense of hope about our future. We’ve got a lot to be thankful for.”

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In 2008, the city of Williams Lake was given the dubious distinction of being No. 1 in the country in a report called the Crime Severity Index.