OLDS — Olds RCMP received about the same number of calls New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day as they did during the same period last year, Cpl. Courtney Harding says.
The difference this year was a couple of COVID-related calls, she said during an interview.
“All things considered, we had a pretty good New Year’s,” Harding said.
“Overall, it looks like a really safe (New Year’s) and looks like everybody was doing what they should have been doing.”
Harding said the two COVID-related complaints were called in on New Year’s Eve.
“(We received) two reports of people not abiding by their restrictions; like suspected company over at two houses,” she said.
However, she said those complaints could not be verified.
Police received one complaint via 911 about fireworks from a Torrington resident.
That resident said they could hear fireworks going off on the west side of their house and that noise had been occurring for about 10 minutes.
“It's not uncommon for us to get these (complaints) every year,” she said.
RCMP also investigated break and enter that occurred at a business overnight. A computer had allegedly been stolen.
RCMP received two complaints about snowmobiles being driven around.
One of those complaints came from a Torrington resident. Another came from a rural resident who said snowmobilers were driving through their property to get to another property.
Police also received a complaint that a mailbox had been damaged in Olds.
On New Year’s Eve, police received a couple of reports of “erratic” driving on Highway 2. They also responded to one call where a vehicle hit a deer at about 10 a.m. New Year’s Eve Day.
Also on Year’s Eve Day, Olds RCMP received a 911 call about a domestic dispute.
However, it turned out that call came from Red Deer, so police in that community were contacted to deal with it.
RCMP also responded to a COVID-related complaint on Jan. 3.
Police were told that a person had undergone a test for COVID but failed to isolate afterward, then later was found to be positive for the disease.
"We followed up with them. They are in fact isolating – the entire family,” Harding said.
Olds RCMP also responded to a couple of domestic disputes during the weekend of Jan. 2-3.
