An enjoyable visit to the local detachment at Carlyle, once again revealed that there's no such thing as routine police work. The variety of calls in any given week is simply astounding, generating plenty of "paperwork" for the members at the end of their shifts. Here's another interesting glimpse into the world of law enforcement.
Alcohol was a factor in a significant number of incidents last week. From an altercation outside a bar in Carlyle, to various calls concerning unwanted intoxicated persons in private residences, and from a complaint of a possible drunk driver, to the discovery of a man in a ditch near Carlyle. Members also followed up on a 911 call where a woman had complained about an abusive man. It was discovered that the woman was intoxicated, and a witness indicated that a fight between the parties had been fully consentual.
Members were directed to a noisy party at a residence in Arcola, where they spoke to a number of teenagers to advise them of the complaint. The opportunity was also taken to remind the young people that if they decided to drive home after drinking, they'd be open to the possibility of being sued.
There were several incidents related to vehicles in our area. One 22-year-old male was given a ticket in the amount of $196 for driving 38 kilometres over the limit near Arcola. In another incident, a driver admitted to speeding when he had to drive into the ditch to avoid a turning semi. Another incident involved the theft of a red BRC Sierra mountain bike, and a series of complaints came from the area regarding quads being driven with excessive noise.
Of growing concern to the detachment is the use of the 911 service for calls that are really not of an emergency nature. Inappropriate use of the 911 number this week included a case where a two-year-old allegedly managed to call dispatchers, an occasion where a 911 caller complained of water balloons being thrown at their house, and an open-line call where nothing was heard except the television. While it is understandable that most people automatically associate 911 with the police, the public is asked to only use the number in a genuine emergency.
Vandalism also featured in police calls last week. In Redvers a table was thrown through the window of a local business, and in Wawota unknown persons broke the windows of a newly-licensed town truck and the town road-sweeper. It is possible that mischief also contributed to two false alarms at the school building in Wawota.
Fire has also been a reality in our area. There was a report of a grass fire near Kisbey, a truck fire at a company, and a house fire also near Kisbey. At the latter incident it was first considered possible that an individual had perished, however the missing person was found alive and well later in the day. Unfortunately, as has been reported previously, an individual did perish in a fire the week before. Police report they have found no evidence of suspicious circumstances in that incident.
