New name for BC RCMP Traffic Services

May 19, 2021 | 10:25 AM

The RCMP division that is responsible for provincial traffic safety has a new name.

What has been known as BC RCMP Traffic Services, or E Division Traffic Services, the last 20 years is now called BC Highway Patrol.

(Submitted image/BC RCMP)

“We believe this new name more clearly distinguishes our role and service delivery from the municipal and detachment traffic services,” Cpl. Mike Halskov, media relations officer for BC Highway Patrol, said. “Our goal is to change driver behaviour so they make better, safer choices. We want to make our roads safer for all road users—drivers, passengers, cyclists, and pedestrians.”

BC Highway Patrol has about 455 employees across B.C. who conduct traffic law enforcement, public education and work closely with partners.

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Along with the new name, the department also has have a new motto: Making Our Highways Safer Together.

“You will begin to see our traffic vehicles with the familiar RCMP crest and our new identity of BC Highway Patrol or BCHP,” Halskov added.

BC Highway Patrol will continue to conduct traffic enforcement, and criminal collision investigations involving serious injury and death on B.C.’s provincial highways.

“Our role is as much about education as it is about enforcement,” the corporal said.

Click here for a brief history of the BC Highway Traffic Patrol.

To support its mandate, BC Highway Patrol has a number of specialized units, each focussed on different aspects of road safety as detailed by Cpl. Halskov below:

1. BC Highway Patrol

This is the overarching program for road safety on the highways. BC Highway Patrol officers conduct traffic enforcement and criminal fatal collision investigations on provincial highways. We are also involved in education, tactical enforcement and quality criminal collision investigation using a multi-faceted and intelligence-led policing model.

2. Integrated Road Safety Unit or IRSU

This group has traffic enforcement officers from the RCMP and municipal police agencies across the province. They conduct strategic traffic enforcement in high collision areas in an effort to reduce the number of serious injury and fatal collisions.

IRSU focuses on the high-risk driving behaviours, such as impaired driving, distracted driving, and aggressive or high risk driving which contribute to serious injury and fatal crashes on our roadways.

3. Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service or CARS

CARS members are responsible for investigating the forensic aspect of all vehicle collisions that result in serious injury or death in the RCMP detachment areas outside the Lower Mainland.

Collision Analysts and Reconstructionists are qualified to give expert evidence regarding the technical aspects of causal factors of collisions.

4. Integrated Impaired Driving Unit or IIDU

The IIDU is comprised of both RCMP and municipal police agencies. Their mandate is to oversee impaired driving programs, including the training and development of B.C. police officers with respect to Impaired Driving Investigations, Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST), Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) certification, Approved Screening Devices (ASD) for potential alcohol impairment, and Oral Fluid Devices for potential drug impairment.

5. Traffic Safety Unit Police Dog Service

This team assists police officers to recognize the indicators of traveling criminals and to detect those traveling with contraband as they travel the highways of B.C.

6. Prohibited Driving Enforcement Team or PDET

The Prohibited Driving Enforcement Team was created to target chronic high-risk, prohibited drivers on our roadways because they pose a significant risk to the motoring public.

PDET uses a variety of effective enforcement options including surveillance and the ALPR (Automated Licence Plate Reader). They work closely with detachments and municipal police agencies on Joint-Force Operations.

7. Police Motorcycle Program

This group provides police motorcycle training and recertification to police officers engaged in traffic enforcement duties, including officers from RCMP Detachment traffic units and municipal police agency traffic units.

They provide specialized motorcycle police escort training to qualified officers who have met the prerequisites so that they can provide motorcycle escorts for VIPs, dignitaries, heads-of-state visiting B.C. and in some cases provide escorts for special events.

8. Mobile Road Safety Unit (Alexa’s Bus)

Many of you will be familiar with the Alexa’s Bus program. It was borne from tragedy, which led to a collaborative effort between government, police, communities and the Middelaer family whose 4-year old daughter Alexa was killed by an impaired driver.

Alexa’s Bus is a fully contained police detachment on wheels that attends events throughout B.C. and has three important purposes: Enforcement, Education, and Awareness. Alexa’s Bus is also used as a Mobile Command Post for various events across the province.

The goal of this unit is to remove impaired drivers from roads and reduce the number of impaired driving fatalities in B.C.

The public can reach the highway patrol at: E_BCHP-PRCB_HQ@rcmp-grc.gc.ca or at their new website: bchp.rcmp.ca or on Twitter: @BCHwyPatrol

by Pete McIntyre

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