When Staff Sgt. Joe Sangster looks at the 2013 policing statistics for his detachment, the numbers tell him that local Mounties are receiving great support from the people they serve.
When Staff Sgt. Joe Sangster looks at the 2013 policing statistics for his detachment, the numbers tell him that local Mounties are receiving great support from the people they serve.
Especially when it came to the help the Olds RCMP detachment received from the community in cracking a major break-in and theft spree last year.
"We’re impressed with the involvement from the community, the information that was provided and that we worked together as a group to end it," Sangster, who is the detachment’s commander, said in an interview on Jan. 30.
Four people were arrested and tens of thousands of dollars of stolen goods taken from businesses and residences throughout Central Alberta in a span of six months were recovered in the fall as a result of an extensive investigation.
The spree of break-ins bumped the number of break-and-enter incidents in Olds from 53 in 2012 to 86 last year, a 62.3 per cent increase, according to statistics for the Olds RCMP detachment provided to the Olds Albertan.
Other areas where large jumps were recorded between 2012 and 2013 included provincial traffic offences, such as speeding or running stop signs, where 757 incidents were recorded in 2012 compared to 1,955 incidents last year and municipal traffic bylaw enforcement of parking violations, which increased to 62 incidents in 2013 compared to 27 the previous year.
Sangster said the reason for these increases is the "expectation" he introduced at the detachment when he took over as commander in the summer that members conduct more traffic stops and identify people not following the rules of the road.
The number of motor vehicle crashes Olds police responded to where people were injured also increased from 23 in 2012 to 32 last year.
In the area of drug crimes enforcement, which Sangster said was beefed up under his watch, the number of production offences increased from zero in 2012 to two incidents in 2013, but a 47.4 per cent decrease was recorded in the area of drug trafficking and a 13.3 per cent decrease was recorded in drug possession offences.
The number of arsons in the detachment’s coverage area also increased from two in 2012 to four cases last year.
As for crimes that decreased in frequency from 2012 to 2013, thefts of motor vehicles dropped from 41 to 27 and thefts over $5,000 dropped from 13 to nine—although thefts under $5,000 increased from 190 to 202.
The overall number of Criminal Code offences police recorded in Olds in 2013 was 1,062, compared to 1,049 the year before.
At the same time, the Olds RCMP’s total clearance rates for crimes in the community dipped slightly from 49 per cent in 2012 to 47 per cent last year, with clearance rates of 87 per cent in crimes involving persons in 2013, down from 88 per cent the year before, 23 per cent for crimes involving property, down from 27 per cent the year before, and 75 per cent for all other crimes, up from 62 per cent in 2012.
Sangster said the dip in total clearance rates is insignificant.
"Two per cent, that’s not going down," he said, adding he is "happy" with the number of criminal offences his members are clearing. "As far as I’m concerned it’s status quo."
He also said the 47 per cent clearance rate is "well above the norm" and the 23 per cent clearance rate for property-related crimes is actually high, especially since property-related complaints are "never ending" as such crimes can include someone stealing a garden gnome or other incidents that are impossible or impractical to solve.
Domestic crime data included in the detachment’s statistics for 2013 showed police laid 35 charges in 37 cases of reported spousal abuse.
Police also responded to 51 reports of spousal abuse where a domestic dispute was taking place—12 of which were recorded as "unfounded"— but no criminal activities were being committed.
Sangster said in these situations, police try to prevent the possibility of the dispute escalating towards violence by involving victim’s services and members will always create a report about the situation so there is a history in case of future problems.
The statistics indicate a total of 77 incidents of spousal abuse recorded in the Olds area last year, compared to 90 incidents in 2012.
Another area where Sangster was happy to see a decrease was the number of false alarms police responded to in 2013.
A total of 256 false alarm incidents were recorded last year compared to 298 in 2012 and that translates to a 14.1 per cent drop.
"It’s nice to see," Sangster said, adding education campaigns aimed at residents and business owners about how to prevent false alarms may be behind the decrease.
The number of false or abandoned 911 calls, however, increased by 20.4 per cent from 103 in 2012 to 124 in 2013.
Sangster said although such calls tie up police resources, members need to investigate each one.
"It takes time. But it’s the same as everything else. You would hate to be the policeman that was part of a call where you felt that, well, it’s nothing and you just kind of leave it at that," he said. "I’d rather take the time so I can feel at peace that there’s nobody that needs our help."
Parents need to educate their children about when to use 911, Sangster added, and the public should call the RCMP’s regular complaint phone line if the matter is not an emergency.
"If it’s not life or death, they shouldn’t be calling 911."
Looking ahead to 2014, Sangster said his main priorities are working with young people and having his members target impaired drivers.
Overall, he added, he is "proud" of the police who serve under him and "impressed" by the community support for the detachment.
"Together we’re making a difference here."
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