ATHABASCA – Athabasca County councillors got another opportunity to hear about local law enforcement efforts in the region following the fourth quarter presentation from detachment commanders.
Staff Sgt. Mark Hall, who runs the Athabasca detachment, Boyle’s Sgt. Dennis Properzi and Sgt. Lee Simpkins, who runs the integrated traffic unit, were in front of councillors Feb. 29 for their quarterly report, which covered Oct. 1 to Dec. 31.
Both detachments saw a rise in persons crime, including assaults — Athabasca jumped from 32 in 2022 to 41, and Boyle went from 9 to 16 — resulting in year-to-date percentile increases. Despite the jump, both detachments are reporting less calls than the five-year high points.
“Lots of the assaults we did have were spousal or family issues,” said Properzi, who broke down his detachment’s statistics into more defined incidents for the councillors. “The assaults aren’t just gang violence or something like that.”
Boyle also saw an increase in harassment, uttering threats, and sexual assault, leading to 32 total files, a 100 per cent increase from 2022. Athabasca saw 64 total persons files in the same time period, increasing from 52 in 2022.
“The numbers are calls received,” said Properzi. “If a guy calls in and says he was punched in the face, it’s tracked as an assault. If we investigate and it turns out he wasn’t punched in the face, it’s still scored as an assault, but it’s classified as no charges laid.”
Both Hall and Properzi have been asking community members to call 911 whenever they feel something is suspicious, so an increase in the number of calls doesn’t automatically mean that more crime has been occurring.
Properzi added certain crimes have seasonal trends as well — cold snaps can lead to an increase in domestic violence, and the summer months often bring an increase in driving offences.
“When it’s 50 below in the winter, you may have more disputes — in some areas that are more prone to alcohol abuse we can get more calls as well. Not everyone is able to walk away from a disturbance if they’re confined to their residence,” said Properzi.
Simpkins said the cold weather and staffing shortages hindered their traffic enforcement efforts — Q3 saw the unit drop to as little as two active members, and injury leave left only one cop on the streets.
“The (staffing) priority is for the general policing side of things, so until their vacancies get filled, traffic is kind of on the back burner,” said Simpkins.
He didn’t have the February numbers yet, since the month hadn’t concluded, but Simpkins did note his small team was able to conduct eight road checks in December and January, despite the weather.
“In the minus 30s and 40s, I don’t expect my members to be standing on the roadway for any length of time,” said Simpkins. “I wouldn’t do it, so that hampered our efforts a little bit.”
The stops led to six impaired driving charges, including a man who blew twice the legal limit and nearly caused multiple head on collisions. The unit also conducted just under 200 mandatory alcohol screenings.
Community Outreach
Both Athabasca and Boyle are planning town halls in the upcoming months; Athabasca will be at the Calling Lake Community Centre March 14 at 1 p.m.
Properzi said he is still planning Boyle’s town halls, but he said the format would be the same as last years. He’s hoping to get representation from Athabasca County Bylaw, Fish and Wildlife, the Alberta Sheriffs Branch, and the integrated traffic unit. Town halls will be held in Wandering River, Boyle, and Grassland, with times to be determined. Properzi said he was hoping for the last week in March, or early April.
With the new fiscal year for the RCMP starting in April, Hall said his detachment was looking for feedback on the community’s priorities.
“Are there any safety concerns you feel should be addressed? What about feedback and communication? Do you want to see more town halls or media releases?” asked Hall.
