Working with the Wetaskiwin RCMP Detachment’s Crime Reduction Unit has resulted in limited success.
“It was an OK experience for us,” Stettler RCMP Sgt. Phil Penny told Stettler County Council during the county’s regular meeting Dec. 12.
“The downside is Wetaskiwin’s close proximity to Maskwacis and Leduc so they didn’t have much time to come.”
In addition, the Crime Reduction Unit’s tactics are geared towards larger urban areas, added Sgt. Penny.
“When they came down we didn’t have a lot of success.”
But Sgt. Penny said there are benefits to the program and they will continue. In addition, he plans to set aside money in the Stettler Detachment’s budget to allow local members to focus on certain repeat offenders.
“I will set aside members to identify targets and pay over time if needed to focus on those people. If I can give members unfettered time they will have lots of success.”
Sgt. Penny said the detachment has had success “nailing our bad guys down,” adding that when they had one offender off the streets “thefts of vehicles hit the basement.”
READ MORE: Stettler RCMP arrest two people in drug raid
Stettler RCMP continues to collaborate with neighbouring detachments such as Drumheller and Hanna to identify repeat offenders who move from one jurisdiction to another.
Police also work with the probation department to ensure offenders are obeying court-ordered conditions.
“It’s nice to reinforce with folks ‘we are going to check on you.’”
When it comes to drugs, Sgt. Penny said their focus is away from marijuana and on what he called the “big four” including methamphetamine, cocaine, ecstasy and fentanyl.
Since April the Stettler RCMP Detachment has executed six search warrants, mostly for drugs possession of stolen property, said Sgt. Penny.
Stettler RCMP continues to work with Blackfalds RCMP Integrated Traffic Unit and has two of their members in Stettler. They also work with Bashaw RCMP.
READ MORE: Stettler RCMP arrests two men, one woman and recovers stolen property
Sgt. Penny said the detachment holds fraud talks in the community with the most recent one at the ATB. With the demographics of a large senior population in Stettler and area, police are seeing a lot of fraud targeting seniors. He said they educate seniors on preventative measures.
Stettler RCMP took out the boat on Buffalo Lake about five times this year.
During hunting season some members went out with Fish and Wildlife to identify poachers, said Sgt. Penny.
lisa.joy@stettlerindependent.com
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