The 2013/14 detachment priorities have been set for the Humboldt RCMP Detachment.
Staff Sgt. Jeff Harrold said detachment priorities were determined after meeting with all governing bodies within the coverage area, including rural municipalities, cities and towns.
"They guide us on where their main concerns are, and we act accordingly to implement initiatives to address those problems they may have," he said.
"Year to year our priorities vary just slightly," Cpl. Randy Wittig explained. "It boils down to almost the same priorities, but we attack them in a different way."
According to both RCMP members, the majority of communities expressed interest in priorities related to police visibility, traffic enforcement and impaired driving.
"Those are common threats that the vast majority of communities have," said Harrold.
The overlapping concerns expressed by the communities contributed to the RCMP's strategic policing plan for the next year, helping to establish key priorities specific to Humboldt and the surrounding area.
Statistics for the region did not show any trends in crime, said Harrold, adding numbers indicated that areas of concentration, such as impaired driving and breaches of conditions, did improve.
"Part of our crime reduction strategy was close monitoring of offenders on conditions through the courts," said Harrold. "That was a strong initiative and still continues to be."
Harrold explained consistent monitoring of people on conditions helps to specifically reduce the number of property crimes in the area.
The Humboldt RCMP detachment also made impaired driving a top priority last year, one that will continue into 2013/14, said Harrold.
Wittig said while impaired driving charges dropped about 25 per cent last year, people are still choosing to drink and drive.
Numbers show that RCMP laid 77 impaired related charges in 2012/13 in the Humboldt area. This number only includes self-generated statistics (RCMP members were actively looking for impaired drivers) and not reports from the public.
Harrold said above all else, the primary priority is crime reduction.
"And it always is," he said bluntly. "At the end of the day that's what we do, we try to reduce or prevent crime. That is basically the umbrella that all of our activities fall under."
As the population of the detachment area continues to grow, the demands on the police increase and the pressure to meet priorities becomes greater, said Harrold.
Despite the growth, members are being proactive and working to prepare for the boom that is expected to come with the opening of BHP Billiton.
"We've been actively engaged with BHP and the City of Humboldt in conversations about where we need to focus," said Harrold. "These priorities that we focus on - the traffic priorities, the drug issues, all those sorts of things - that we can get a handle on prior to the big flood of people and money will have a big impact on us.
"It's also easier to try to keep the lid on than trying to get it back on after it's blown apart. Being aware of that, we've decided to focus our energies hard now so we don't have to scramble to catch up."
Despite the current growth and anticipated boom, the detachment continues to operate steadily with a staff sergeant, two corporals and 12 constables; however city council is exploring the idea of adding an additional constable to the municipal policing body.
"A lot of times the RCMP is looked upon as all things to all people," said Harrold. "The community needs to understand that and help us out. Without community involvement we can't do it, we can't be everywhere all at once."
The Humboldt RCMP detachment is responsible for a vast coverage area, which extends north to Middle Lake, south to Drake, east to Watson and west to Bruno.
