DIDSBURY - RCMP officers continue to combat controlled substance trafficking and use in Didsbury and surrounding area, including through the use of confidential informants, according detachment commander Staff Sgt. Steven Browne.
Officers have also been providing local drug users and alcoholics with information on how to access treatment and education, he said.
In his latest quarterly report of detachment activities and action, Browne outlines community priorities and crime statistics. He was scheduled to present the report to council members at the recent council meeting, but that delegation appearance was postponed until February.
The report outlines the detachment’s recent work on three principle community priorities: focus on major/serious criminal investigations; opioid and fentanyl drug enforcement/education; increased visibility in the community.
Regarding the community priority of opioid and fentanyl drug enforcement, Browne said enforcement efforts are ongoing.
“Members do this by continuously using information led policing to determine the way that these substances are entering and being trafficked in our community,” he said.
“A large part of this is through speaking with the pubic and confidential informants to determine up and coming lines of distribution of opioid and other controlled substances.
“With this information members are able to work together to put pressure on these individuals and in most cases cause them to leave the area before they can set up strong trafficking roots.”
As well as enforcement, officers have been providing known opioid users with cards and phone numbers for education and medical program support, he said.
“Members have also provided self-identified alcoholics with pamphlets for Alcoholic’s Anonymous and tried to provide support and advice in getting people into these program as it has been seen to sometimes be successful in this area,” he said.
“Didsbury RCMP also continue to liaise with the local victim services unit and through them can often point clients toward a road of addition recovery.”
Browne’s report also include recent crime investigations in the detachment area. In all, nine criminal investigations during the quarter resulted in charges.
Those charges include a woman charged with uttering threats fail/disobey court order, a man charged with child luring, a man charged with assault/unlawfully in a dwelling house/uttering threats, a woman charged with domestic assault, a man charged with domestic assault, and a man charged with harassing communications/extortion.
Regarding the community priority of increased visibility in the community, Browne noted that officers conducted more than 100 targeted patrols during the quarter, including alcohol screening/bar walks and checkstops.
Browne said he recently met with local elected officials, including Didsbury mayor Rhonda Hunter, for discussion on a possible regional policing model for the area.
Browne is expected to appear before Didsbury council in the first part of February to present his quarterly report.
