What’s wrong with My Scanner?

For those in the Community that enjoyed listening to Police calls on their scanners, you may have noticed over the past month or so, that you haven’t been getting very much information. That’s because the police radios have been switched over from analog to encrypted digital channels that can no longer be listened in on. This changeover has been ongoing for quite sometime and is just making it’s way to Northern BC now.

As exciting as it could be at times, to listen in on what the Police were doing, it was always a major risk factor for police when responding to a dangerous circumstance with their every move being monitored often by the person that needed to be apprehended. As well, many people have been afraid to call police for fear that their name or details may be broadcast over the police radio for all with scanners to hear. Police do their best to respond to anonymous complaints but when more information is needed like additional suspect details or description, that information can not be obtained because there is no call back number.

If you are calling Fort Nelson RCMP today, you can rest assure that when officers are dispatched and respond there will be no scanners listening in on the call. Even if a person buys a digital scanner (which is quite expensive), they would still require a specific chip for than scanner, one that is not readily available to the general public. Anonymous calls will always be accepted but Police can often assist much better when they have a name and number to call back to and your information will always remain confidential. It is never shared with the subject of the complaint.

Emergency Line vs Non-Emergency Calls:

When deciding which line to call here is are some simple guidelines to follow;

Only call the emergency line for “in-progress” or serious offences or collisions.
When in doubt, call the emergency line but if your call is clearly not urgent or is an enquiryonly – please do not use the emergency line.

So if you have a complaint that is not urgent the Fort Nelson RCMP urge you to call (whether it’s anonymously or not) on the non-Emergency line: (250) 774-2700. During business hours, calls on this line will go directly to the Fort Nelson Detachment whereas calls to the Emergency number (250)774-2777 are routed through to a trained emergency call-taker in Prince George. During non-business hours all calls are routed through Prince George.

Quad / ATV registration:

Every year Fort Nelson Police respond to numerous calls of Quads or ATVs racing around town where they are not supposed to be as well as an abundance of stolen and recovered recreation vehicles. There is a small number of misguided riders in town and an even smaller number of thieves stealing these machines, but they tarnish the good reputation of all Quaders in Fort Nelson. In the past Officers have asked members of the public to help identify riders that are not following the rules by providing names or photographs. This is not always an easy thing to do so another solution is to identify yourself as a safe rider by registering your Quad, ATV or dirtbike with the RCMP.

You can stop by the RCMP Detachment at 4804 McLeod Rd anytime between 8am and 4pm, Monday through Friday and bring a photograph of your recreation vehicle along with a serial number and your peronsal identification. Police will add your machine to a list that will help in a number of ways.

First of all, if your vehicle ever goes missing the serial number (or VIN) will immediately be added to the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database, as stolen property. In the event that police recover a vehicle, the quickest way of finding the owner is through a query of the VIN. Many owners that have had their property stolen don’t know what that number is and have not recorded it anywhere.

Secondly, by having a picture of your Qaud or Dirtbike on hand Police can quickly identify it if found or have a much better chance of locating it by knowing what they are looking for. The third benefit is being able to eliminate your Quad as a suspect vehicle when a call or complaint is received and a description provided. By knowing who the suspect is not, RCMP members will have a much better chance of narrowing in on who the suspect is.

Parents, we strongly encourage you to register any recreational vehicles you have that your children are riding. There are some very young looking youths racing around Fort Nelson in a manner that is likely to cause a death or serious injury before the summer is up. For their safety and your peace of mind, this is a proactive way to help prevent a terrible accident.

Burnt Out Quad Found Along Community Trail

On Thursday, June 19th, an off duty RCMP officer was walking along the Community Trail near Airport Road when he observed the charred remains of a Quad just 20 metres into the bush. The entire machine had burnt down and all that remained was a blackened frame, which was loaded on a Police truck and transported to Archies Towing. Anyone with information regarding this incident can call the Fort Nelson non-emergency line at 774-2700.

Constable Robert Gossmann Northern Rockies RCMP