S/Sgt Darcy Woolfitt attended Monday’s town council meeting with statistics from the first quarter of 2019.
Some categories saw increased calls for service. Break and enters went from one to four, compared to last year; persons offences went from 22 to 24; business break and enters were up from one to four, and residential break and enters were up from three to five.
While it was unfortunate people’s properties were broken into, Woolfitt said, “we were fortunate with some of them that we didn’t have a lot of property stolen.”
Residents can prevent crimes of opportunity, Woolfitt said, and encouraged locking vehicles and garages.
Some calls for service in certain categories decreased. Vehicle collisions went from 12 at this time last year to four, provincial traffic offences went from 29 to 15, and false alarm calls decreased nearly by half from 41 to 21.
In other RCMP news, Woolfitt said the investigation regarding the post office break-in remains open, and forensic evidence is being examined.
“We’re hoping we may get an opportunity to identify a suspect as a result of that work,” Woolfitt said.
The Battlefords detachment also has members trained as drug recognition experts, Woolfitt said, and the detachment has a device “that is able to obtain a sample from someone who is high on marijuana,” similar to what the Intoxilyzer can do for alcohol.
Lawyers and activists have raised suspicions regarding the accuracy of the devices.
According to a Canadian Press article, representatives from a drug-detection device company said such devices “are an optional tool for police forces if they want to test for THC,” and before officers “go through additional steps required to charge someone under Canada’s drug-impaired driving law.”
Woolfitt also said another national impaired driving enforcement initiative will take place this month, and it will be advertised.
Mayor Ames Leslie called the previous enforcement blitz a “huge success.”
