Council updated on activities of RCMP

By Rob Vogt
The Clareshom RCMP was again busy over the past few months.
Sergeant Perry Pelletier of the Claresholm RCMP appeared as a delegation at the Sept. 23 meeting of town council to present his quarterly report.
He explained the report spans the period from April 1 to June 30.
The detachment has four priorities.
The first priority is traffic enforcement and speeding.
This quarter saw 23 speeding related offences reported, 13 of which resulted in charges being laid, and included two speeding charges in a school zone.
Pelletier noted there were also some verbal and written warnings handed out.
The second priority is crime reduction and property crime.
During this quarter, two compliance checks were conducted, both on an individual with a high risk to offend and well known to police. Both checks were deemed compliant.
The third priority is police-community relations and police visibility.
This quarter saw 15 foot patrols conducted within various areas and venues in Claresholm and Stavely. Enhanced visibility shifts and patrols were also undertaken, in which all members were a part of, including Pelletier. These areas included Claresholm, Stavely and the surrounding Municipal District of Willow Creek.
The fourth priority is substance abuse and drug enforcement.
This quarter saw three Controlled Drugs and Substances Act related files, one resulting in a no-case seizure of a small quantity of suspected methamphetamine.
Pelletier explained this means the police seized this small amount of drugs, but no charges were laid because the Crown will no longer prosecute cases of possession of small amounts of drugs.
There were two other files related to Crime Stoppers tips that could not be verified.
Pelletier explained any tip has to be corroborated before any action can be taken.
Statistics from April to June were also available to councillors.
Persons crimes were up 18.18 per cent, from 22 in 2023 to 26 in 2024.
Property crimes were up 28.8 per cent, from 80 in 2023 to 103 in 2024.
Other criminal code offences were up 31.6 per cent, from 19 in 2023 to 25 in 2024.
Drug offences were up 33.3 per cent, from three in 2023 to four in 2024.
Total federal act offences remained the same in 2023 and 2024.
Total provincial act offences were down 12.2 per cent, from 41 in 2023 to 36 in 2024.
Municipal bylaw offences were down 33.3 per cent, from 18 in 2023 to 12 in 2024.
Motor vehicle collisions remained the same at 29 in 2023 and 2024.
Provincial code traffic offences were down 42.3 per cent, from 208 in 2023 to 120 in 2024.
Other traffic offences were up 100 per cent, from one in 2023 to two in 2024.
Criminal Code traffic offences were up 40 per cent, from five in 2023 to seven in 2024.
Pelletier also discussed staffing.
Of the seven established positions, six police officers are currently working. There are two officers on special leave, one on medical leave and one on parental leave.
One of these positions is backfilled to ensure coverage.
A cadet will soon be able to work alone once his trining period with another officer is complete.
The acting corporal is waiting for promotion. Until then, he occupies both the corporal position and a regular constable position at the same time.
Overall, Pelletier said, there were 706 files or complaints from April 1 to June 30, 54 deemed unfounded, and 652 actual files.
He also noted the rash of break-ins in June stopped as quickly as it started with two individuals charged and waiting for the court process.
“I want to commend (you on) the traffic enforcement,” said Coun. Rod Kettles, noting he appreciated the diligence in enforcing speed limits in school zones.