Local police tell us summer is now here. Their pronouncement is not based upon the weather or the season or the date, rather it comes from the sudden increase in calls they have to attend to. The beginning of summer always brings a dramatic rise in incidents that must be handled or investigated.
Over the last few months, numbers have typically been between 40 and 60 calls per week, with a spike over weeks that include a long weekend. By comparison, in the first week of July, the Carlyle detachment handled 98 calls, with many involving alcohol.
At Kenosee Lake, a vehicle was stopped and a driver was requested to take a roadside sobriety test. The 49-year-old male was found to be two times over the legal limit and was charged with impaired driving.
Police were called to the same general vicinity after a car went into a ditch. Members discovered the 41-year-old driver to be over the .08 limit and charged him with impaired driving. In addition, the individual was also charged with unrelated theft under $5,000.
Members on patrol along Highway 13 observed a vehicle being driven in an erratic manner. They followed it into Carlyle, where the driver also failed to obey a stop sign. The driver was stopped and tests displayed an "A" reading for Alert. The 55-year-old man was issued a 24-hour driving suspension.
Police also responded to a call in the area, where an allegedly intoxicated individual was causing a disturbance. Members spoke with the person and encouraged them to go to bed.
A call was received from the area requesting police to remove three intoxicated persons from a residence. No charges were laid in this incident.
Police followed up on a report of an intoxicated person punching a hole in a car windshield in the area. The subject was no longer on the scene when members arrived. The matter is being investigated.
Members were requested to remove an intoxicated 25-year-old male from a home, where he was causing a disturbance. Members attended and charged the man with uttering threats, resisting arrest and a possible weapons-related offence.
A complaint was received of a fight in progress between three intoxicated men in the area. The caller indicated there might be a firearm present. Police arrived on the scene and discovered a pellet gun close by, but not being used in the altercation. Investigations continue into the incident.
A 911 caller reported a fight between two males in the area. Police arrived to find one person intoxicated and another person suffering from concussion. Investigations and hospital treatment continue.
A 44-year-old intoxicated female was removed from a business after she kept refusing to leave. The subject spent the night in custody and was released with charges.
A call provided police with information regarding a man who kept walking into the path of oncoming traffic on Highway 9. Members located the individual, who spent the night in cells and was released in the morning with a $90 fine for public intoxication. In another incident, a man was reported as being found intoxicated in a ditch near the highway. Police took him to cells and charged him $90.
There were several incidents where members of the public called to report possibly intoxicated drivers, however the reported vehicles were not found.
Other vehicle related incidents added to the workload this week.
A 24-year-old female was ticketed for doing 110km/hr in an km 80 zone. She was fined $129.
A car was reported as being keyed in the area. There were no suspects and no witnesses.
A 19-year-old man failed to obey a yield sign and collided with another vehicle near Redvers. Although the vehicle that was hit was no longer drivable, there were no injuries and the man was issued a fine of $230.
A person received a $580 fine for driving an unregistered vehicle in the area.
An 18-year-old female took her eyes off the road to adjust her car stereo and ended up in the ditch after swerving to avoid traffic. She was charged with driving without due care and attention and fined $280.
A 24-year-old man was charged for having unlawful sunscreen material other than that supplied by manufacturers on his front side windows. The fine for the illegal tint was $115.
A 39-year-old man was fined $175 for not wearing his seat belt.
Four drivers were issued tickets by traffic division operating within this area. No further details are available.
A 36-year-old male driver was charged for driving with tinted windows on highway 48 near Wawota.
A 27-year-old man was fined $580 for operating an unregistered vehicle on highway 13 near Arcola.
A driver was reported to police for speeding on a street in Carlyle. Police talked with the driver who thanked them for the warning and promised to slow down.
A dozer and grader were deliberately driven into water at an oil facility near Stoughton. The damage is in the region of $300,000. Police request the public to be on the lookout for a red Dodge truck with a deer emblem on the back window in connection with this incident.
A woman called 911 to report the theft of her vehicle. She called back after a little while to report it had been found and no police action was necessary.
An 18-year-old man was lodged in cells overnight after being reported as possibly intoxicated while driving on a gravel road near Redvers. The individual repeatedly gave police false names during questioning and has been charged with both impaired driving and obstruction.
A hit and run incident was reported. There were no witnesses or suspects, but an SGI report was filed for insurance purposes.
A woman attended the detachment to report being injured after a car hit her as she attempted to exit her own vehicle. At the time of the incident there had been no pain, but she felt it later and wanted to talk to police about the matter.
A man, who had been issued an inspection ticket in Saskatoon, reported to the detachment to verify the offending tint had been removed from his front side windows. An officer observed the vehicle and verified the completion of the work. The driver thereby avoided a fine.
A call was received that a vehicle parked on highway 13 constituted a road hazard. Police attended and arrived just as the owner was returning with gasoline. There were no charges.
There were a number of mischief calls at the detachment this week. One caller reported a window had been broken at a cabin, however no evidence existed that the property had been entered. Another situation was reported by Conservation Officers at the Park. Campers had chopped up park benches and had been evicted by park officials; police presence was requested to make sure the offenders left peacefully. A third call related to smashed windows on construction equipment.
The remaining incidents are varied in their nature and will be mentioned briefly. A report of theft from a business in Redvers was investigated. A small amount of petty cash was missing but there was no damage to property.
Police assisted a coroner's investigation into a sudden death at Arcola. There were no suspicious circumstances.
Members provided information to Corrections Canada to assist in the compilation of a report.
Two wallets were reported as stolen from Kenosee water slides. The public are reminded to be mindful of the security of their belongings in public places.
Members received a call that reported an individual with a gun to their head that was threatening suicide. They attended and found no such incident in progress.
A caller reported a moose stuck in water. Police went out to help the animal but could not find it.
A business in Redvers reported the theft of fireworks. The culprits had made off with the goods when a clerk went to check on the prices of the items. Security video later showed the persons deliberately switching price tags in an effort to create confusion at the till.
And in conclusion, a number of 911 calls were received where children had been playing with the telephone. Parents are asked to remind children that the 911 service is for emergency only.
