Impaired driving, substance abuse, and police visibility are three priorities the Innisfail RCMP detachment will be focusing on this year.
Commanding officer S. Sgt. Lyle Marianchuk, said that although they are still in the process of creating the draft of the 2011/2012 Annual Performance Plan (APP) they have laid out their largely based on community feedback.
Every year before creating the APP members of the RCMP consult with the community as well as local governments to determine the best direction for the upcoming fiscal year, which began in April.
The Innisfail, Penhold, and Red Deer County councils were all involved during this process along with youth from the Innisfail Junior Senior High School and Spruce View School, and the Citizens On Patrol.
The RCMP consults with the local Community Peace officers and tries to align their objectives together, said Marianchuk.
Every year the APP has a Traffic Safety Initiative that is identified in the plan and this year the Innisfail RCMP will be increasing their focus on cracking down on impaired driving.
“Traffic safety was one of the big issues identified by the youth,” said Marianchuk, adding that it was identified as a priority by the youth in both Innisfail and Spruce View schools.
“They are concerned about impaired driving, with people partying on the weekend and perhaps driving when they shouldn’t be.”
The RCMP will be substantially increasing their Check Stop program this year and will be holding weekly check stops throughout their coverage area.
RCMP members will continue to focus on other traffic safety issues throughout the year such as speed, seatbelts, intersections, and distracted driving.
This year the APP will outline an increase in the number of Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) initiatives, from six to eight. These initiatives are chosen in line with the projects outlined by Alberta Traffic Safety. The program includes an education component and gives an enforcement focus for members for each initiative.
Youth education and crime prevention initiatives will continue to occur in area schools this year with the focus being on traffic safety and specifically distracted driving and impaired driving, said Marianchuk.
“Good kids still make bad decisions sometimes.”
Members will be continuing their fight on drugs this year hoping to reduce the use of drugs and underage drinking in the area.
Youth also identified alcohol and tobacco use a problem in the area so Marianchuk said they would be working on the enforcement of provincial laws on the sale of tobacco.
This year’s APP also outlines plans to increase the police visibility in the area as this is one of the concerns brought up during consultations with local town councils.
Marianchuk said they hope to increase police presence in Penhold by the creation of a community office in the town and by implementing a local Citizens On Patrol unit.
The plans for increasing patrols in Red Deer County include the continuation of boat patrols on Glennifer and Pine Lakes, and also the addition of a new quad patrol program that will allow police access to areas they normally can’t get to.
In Innisfail plans to continue summer bike patrols and to work on interagency patrols with the Community Police Officer are in the works.
Once completed the APP is a living document, said Marianchuk. I can be changed if new needs are identified within the community.
