A renewed call for CCTV cameras has been made in the town of Oliver, B.C.
During the Community Safety and Crime Prevention Meeting on Monday, residents suggested the town place cameras around the community to prevent crime.
“It was brought up recently by an individual from town with regards to video surveillance throughout Oliver,” said Oliver RCMP Sgt. Don Wrigglesworth.
“This is something that that gentleman is proposing to mayor and council.”
This follows a recent string of arson attacks. In February, a suspicious fire tore through a dispensary in town.
In March, another suspicious fire broke out at Global Grocers, and then days later a torched vehicle was found near Black Sage Road.
“There were three arson events in the last three months in Oliver. The matters are under investigation but so far, the subjects of interest in each of those are different people, and they are not connected,” said Wrigglesworth.
This is not the first time Oliver residents have called for cameras. Michael Guthrie, who is one of the residents calling for cameras, received nearly 500 signatures back in 2018 asking for them in town because he believes “crime is out of control.”
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RCMP said they welcome the idea of cameras around town but most likely wouldn’t use camera footage to monitor traffic and accidents but would ask for it during any major investigation.
“When there are serious events, the police are going to ask for video footage and there is some great video footage that has helped solve crime,” said Wrigglesworth.
“Cameras assist the police in putting together evidence to help solve crime — cameras can be a deterrence.”
Global News reached out to Guthrie for comment but he was unavailable for an interview.
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