The City of Kamloops has expanded its role for Community Service Officers in Kamloops – to help deal with issues on city streets.

The City’s Director of Community and Protective Services, Byron McCorkell, says the idea is the CSOs will assist the RCMP with low-risk policing issues on city streets.

“We don’t have a lot of bylaws or even the ability to write bylaws to deal with some of the street issues we have — loitering is not able to be enforced, panhandling has to be allowed, overnight sleeping is allowed — These are issues that we’re facing day to day with our residents.”

With street issues a growing concern in municipalities across the province, McCorkell says the city has decided to take a “holistic” view to address the situation.

“It’s not so much enforcement, but it’s it’s engagement and it’s going to take — what we believe and what we’re calling — a community of care model, will be the only way through this.

“We are not going to be able to ticket our way out as bylaws. We are not going to be able to arrest our way out with RCMP. We’re going to have to figure out a way to help people help themselves encourage that to happen.”

McCorkell says the goal is to have CSO staff that can respond –whether it’s on private property or public lands — to help deal with some of the folks on the streets who are causing concern.

“Our CSOs are out every day. We have our outreach team now where we have paired up with ASK Wellness and CMHA staff where they go out and we can then help folks where they’re at, and hopefully encourage them to find the resources that they need to be able to live in our community without causing the concerns that they’re causing.”

To accommodate the role expansion of CSOs, McCorkell says the city put all of its operating issues into one basket and looked at training levels and expectations around what the officer needed to be able to do.

“We gave a significant pay increase to allow that understanding to happen. We’re now looking for degrees and diplomas rather than grade 12 equivalency,” he said.

Now, McCorkell says they are looking to the province to gain peace officer status for CSOs.

“We’re looking for peace officer status as well, to allow our officers to be fully recognized in the court for their piece of the enforcement protocol.

The agency is responsible for licensed inspectors and bylaw officers in the province advocated for a three-tier model. We are supportive of that.”

After meeting with Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth last week, McCorkell suggests the minister seemed quite impressed about the city’s move with CSOs.

It comes as the BC Government is looking for models to move forward as they review the police act and work to deal with issues they are facing across the province.

RELATED: Kamloops Council taking first step in possibly deputizing CSO’s, despite Mayor’s opposition

Earlier this month, Kamloops RCMP Superintendent Jeff Pelley supported the plan to expand the role of the Community Services Officers, saying it could alleviate some pressure on RCMP officers.