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Police busier at Riverboat Days this year

BESIDES TAKING part in the Riverboat Days opening ceremonies and parade, Terrace RCMP were kept busy during its first four days.

THE FIRST four days of Riverboat Days kept local police hopping with more calls than last year.

Terrace RCMP Inspector Dana Hart reports his officers dealt with 233 files, a 28 per cent increase compared to last year.

“Friday and Saturday we added extra officers, including the Crime Reduction Unit and Auxiliary Constables on mountain bikes," says Hart. “This enabled us to do a lot of pro-active enforcement.”

In the first four days, 49 people were arrested for public intoxication, including a 44-year-old woman who turned on police after calling her a taxi at her request, as well as a 14-year-old female who, after running from police, crawled under a parked truck and threatened to light herself and the truck on fire, says Hart.

On Saturday afternoon, police were tied up for several hours attending to a fatal, single vehicle collision on Highway 16 near Ferry Island, then on Sunday a 17-year-old was arrested for robbery in Thornhill, he says.

Later that evening, police and search and rescue began searching for a missing man who was last seen diving into the Skeena River, says Hart.

Police also responded to more than 40 complaints of disturbance or mischief, including pit parties in Thornhill and Terrace, says Hart. Even after the Thornhill Fire Department doused a blaze, several people returned and resumed partying near Hawthorne Ave, he adds.

Early Monday morning, police attended to the McDonald’s parking lot after a large group leaving the beach volleyball tournament started smashing bottles, throwing garbage and swearing at restaurant staff, says Hart.

“A lot of good people work very hard to make Riverboat Days happen, “ says Hart. “ It is a shame that others show [so] much disrespect.”