Williams Lake City Council is taking another proactive approach to fighting crime in the community.
Council agreed Tuesday evening to a one year lease of 10 GPS monitoring ankle bracelets from SafeTracks GPS Canada Inc.
Councillor Scott Nelson says that Council took the initiative six months ago to try and create a program to find an electronic GPS tracking device for harmful key individuals.
“Every two seconds we know where exactly they are 24/7,” says Nelson.
“So they go into a no-go zone they get beeped, they go into an area that they’re not allowed to go they get beeped. We can track them for 18 days straight with these bracelets, and it actually talks to them so if they keep on going the RCMP just come and arrest them. It’s a great opportunity for us to track criminals at a minimal cost.”
Mayor Walt said that a single bracelet once activated costs $16 a day compared to $100 a day for RCMP to conduct manual checks.
Nelson says that the company will work with the Williams Lake RCMP to set up the program that will be at the discretion of the courts.
“It’s going to be a very unique program and this is a key tool for the RCMP,” says Nelson.
“I think you’re going to get a lot of other communities taking advantage of the same thing Williams Lake is. We believe that it’s the right thing to do to assist the RCMP to reduce criminal activity in our community and encourage the courts and Crown to use these against prolific offenders, dangerous offenders, people that are going to create havoc in our community.”
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