A group of young people who are known to the RCMP is the main reason the town of Battleford's first quarter stats for property offences have gone up compared with last year.
"A lot of it is just mischief to property, with vehicles been left unlocked, and we've got a group of people that have been identified through investigation," S/Sgt. Darcy Woolfitt told Battleford town councillors Monday during his report on crime statistics in the town.
Property offences in the first quarter number 78, up from 46 in the same period in 2015.
The mischief typically occurs anywhere from midnight to four in the morning, said Woolfitt, although it varies. The youth, probably ranging in ages from 12 to 16, are known to the RCMP and the investigation is ongoing.
"This group of young people that have been identified have been involved in quite a significant amount of these property crimes, and as you understand it takes a fair bit of information to get most of this before the courts."
He said, "The warm weather certainly is creating a bit more activity out on the streets and we've got some of our youth who have been involved with us in the past active again, involved with some of these crimes. It's just one of those situations where we have to contact these young people and bring them before the courts again."
He said the criminal code offences stats are up, too because some of the young people involved in recent offences have been caught and are before the courts right now. The first quarter total is 31, more than double that amount in the same time last year.
"It's just something that, with some of the youth that we deal with, they are at-risk youth," said Woolfitt.
"Many different organizations in the community try to provide them as much support as possible to get them on the right road, but it's difficult to keep tabs on them all the time. But there's lot of people doing lots of good work and we can change a few of the kids, but some of them (it’s) the choices they make, unfortunately."
Being part of a group is sometimes the problem, he explained.
"One on one, some of these kids are pretty decent, but when they get into groups of three or four, their ideas and their attitudes change. It's just one of those things that you just have to keep working on."
Woolfitf said the RCMP and SGI have issued several media release in regards to securing property, making sure vehicles are locked and that there are no valuables to tempt thieves.
He said they will continue to remind the public.
"We're all the same, we sometimes forget and on the one night that we forget (to lock) our vehicle somebody ends up going through our vehicle and taking loose change and other items out of our vehicles, which ends up driving up our stats, which is a bit problematic."
Woolfitt said most of the property crimes are crimes of opportunity, but break and enters are up also.
"There are other persons that are out in the evening – late evenings, early mornings – with their own shopping list looking for items that they can … get their hands on and take off."
There have been some vehicles stolen, he said, as well as a boat.
"We have to continually send a message out to let people know that it is important to secure their property."
He also said information provided by the public is important in identifying culprits.
"There are some people that have provided us really good information," he said. "Some people have their own security systems and they actually were able to provide us with pictures of some of the youth that were involved, which has helped in the investigations."
That's a positive, he said.
"Lots of people have trail cams, too, that they have set up in their yards. So any information is good."
He also said a general awareness is important as is sharing information with neighbours.
"With the warming weather, if you get new people who have moved into your neighbourhood, I would suggest take the opportunity to go and visit them and get to know who they are and share information as neighbours."
He also said don't be hesitant to report incidents to the RCMP, even if they seem insignificant.
"People will come and say, 'You know what happened last weekend? Somebody went through my vehicle and took my change. There wasn't much there but I didn't report it.' So I always tell them when something like that happens make sure you report it because that will give us a date and time, because if somebody wasn't home that particular weekend and they come home a few days later and their property has been broken into then we will have an idea what time somebody may or not have been there," Woolfitt explained. "That always helps."
Woolfitt also said with the warmer weather the RCMP is making adjustments to patrols by members.
"With the intelligence led policing model we started last year, we revamped it a bit and we have a few different strategies that we are working on this year," he said. "Our emphasis is to have the members on the road as much as possible."
With the equipment in the car, it's basically a moving office, said Woolfitt.
"They've got a computer in there and they've got their phone, and we have access to a data centre in Regina where the members can simply – if they are out on the road – call in all the information that they have for a particular investigation that they are working on and they can remain on the road."
As a result, he said, they are moving toward a greater visibility of officers on the streets, especially in the evening and early morning hours
