SUNDRE – With the arrest of several prolific offenders, the local RCMP detachment’s commander expects to see a noticeable decline in a previously increasing trend of property crimes in the area.
Sgt. Trent Sperlie provided his department’s second quarter community policing report for council’s review and consideration during the regular Nov. 28 meeting.
The quarter encompasses the period of time between July 1 and September 30.
“There was a specific group of people from outside of the Sundre area that were responsible for the vast majority of this increase in theft,” the report reads in part.
“The entire group has been arrested through different investigations in several different detachment areas including the Southern Alberta District Crime Reduction Unit. As a result, we have seen an equally significant decrease in calls for service related to theft.”
The removal of the three prolific offenders during the second quarter comes on the heels of “a tremendous spike” of property crimes, he said.
“The arrests made by Sundre, Olds, Three Hills, Strathmore and (the Southern Alberta District Crime Reduction Unit) have had a significant impact on the decline of property crime,” he said.
“This decline started in the third month of this quarter, and we should see an equally significant decline into the next quarter if this trend continues.”
Among the statistical highlights included in the sergeant’s report were comparisons with last year's second quarter.
From July to September of this year, there was a total of 239 criminal code files, compared with 195 during the same timeframe in 2021.
Those stats were further broken down into the following categories: persons crime, 37 in 2022 compared with 35 in 2021; property crime, 167 this year compared with 116 in 2021; as well as other criminal code matters, 37 this year compared with 42 in 2021.
Traffic offences, meanwhile, decreased.
There were eight traffic offences related to the Criminal Code recorded during the second quarter this year compared with 19 last year. There were also 138 provincial code traffic violations this year compared with 171 last year.
Motor vehicle collisions remained roughly the same at 69 during this year’s second quarter compared with 65 in 2021.
Municipal bylaw files also saw a decline to seven in the second quarter of 2022 from 16 last year. However, that trend could be poised to reverse.
“The municipality’s bylaw officer has provincial authorities and will augment traffic initiatives as well as lead on any town joint-force operations,” Sperlie wrote in his report.
The sergeant also mentioned some significant files the Sundre detachment dealt with this year, “including two homicides and a very unfortunate in-custody death.”
Such files inevitably lead to the need for additional overtime to cover the full extent of ensuing investigations, he said.
“This will have an overall effect on the detachment’s allotted overtime funds.”
Body-worn cameras could be implemented in 2023
The sergeant also included in his report an update on the RCMP’s progress toward deploying body-worn cameras, which starting in early 2023 are to be field tested at three pilot locations in Alberta.
“A total of 191 cameras will be distributed amongst frontline officers in Grande Prairie, Parkland, and St. Paul detachments,” he said.
The pilot program will help to determine whether the contractor is capable of delivering the required level of service as outlined in a request for proposals, he said.
The field test will also provide an early opportunity to get the devices into the hands of frontline officer, who will be the primary users of body-worn cameras as well as the accompanying digital evidence management systems service.
Testing the cameras will also offer a chance to identify preliminary lessons to be learned on the path to improving service delivery processes prior to widespread adoption throughout the province.
“Should the top vendor demonstrate they can meet our requirements, the next step will be full implementation later in 2023,” he said, adding the cameras and their digitally recorded evidence will become part of a new national standard to enhance public trust, confidence and safety.
Although preliminary estimates were provided within the 2023-24 to 2027-28 multi-year financial plan to the municipality, field test results might impact the estimated costs, he said.
“Any refined forecasts will be updated and shared with the municipality,” he said.
Council carried a motion to accept the report for information.
