In the last four years the number of crimes in the Barrhead area has doubled.
At least the number of crimes members of the local detachment of the RCMP have had to deal with.
That is what Barrhead RCMP detachment commander, Sgt. Bob Dodds told Barrhead County council on Tuesday, July 7 during their regular meeting.
In 2012, the total number of criminal code offences Barrhead RCMP members were called out to was 323. That number increased to 369, in 2012, and 425 in 2013. In 2014, that number decreased slightly to 420.
However, this year the number has jumped dramatically. So far in 2015 the number of criminal code offences reported in the Barrhead RCMP’s area is 631.
For the most part, the number of crimes reported in the majority of the categories have been pretty consistent over the last four years, Dodds said, adding that most of the increases have been in property crimes and assault.
“It doesn’t come as a big surprise to me,” Dodds said. “In the last six to eight months we have seen an exponential increase in a variety of property offences and we are really working hard to resolve it.”
Barrhead County reeve, Bill Lee, asked if the increase in property crimes was due to a change in how the courts hand out their sentences.
Dodds said he didn’t want to comment on the sentencing process of the courts, but added he has spoken to crown prosecutors about the issue.
“What I have asked them to do when we are putting people in front of the courts for thefts and other property crimes is to make a point with the judge about what kind of problem we are having here and so far they have been very receptive to our request,” he said.
One of the things RCMP detachments around the country are most frustrated about are some of the short sentences people who are convicted of property crimes are getting.
“A lot of times, in the recent past, our members could pick somebody up for theft, and they will spend eight to 10 days in jail and get time served. So essentially they are out right away,” Dodds said, adding because criminal activity is often done by the same individuals over and over again it is difficult to make a dent in the crime statistics when people are receiving such short sentences.
Another reason why Dodds believes there has been an increase in property thefts is because of an increase in drug activity in the area. Most notably crystal meth.
“I have seen people in this community that have been in jail six months to a year, or even longer, that got themselves there because of meth,” he said. “And when they get out they just get right back into it.”
Lee said he was surprised to hear that because he thought those individuals would’ve had a chance to kick their addiction by being sober for a year.
“That’s the point. It’s a real hook and an anchor around these peoples’ necks,” Dodds responded, adding that until their drug problem is truly resolved, people will just keep continuing to go around in a vicious circle.
He added that there are a number of ways society can address the problem.
“Is it a health concern, a mental health issue, but the problem always falls back to us because we are the ones having to deal with the thefts, the assaults, the driving complaints which are a result of the drug problem,” he said. “I am not sure how we address it, but we are working on it.”
Although the crime statistics can look overwhelming, Dodds said the RCMP have had a number of successes.
An example he gave is the successful resolution to a potentially dangerous police pursuit across multiple jurisdictions.
On June 5, the Alberta Law Enforcement Team (ALERT) executed a search warrant on a property near Redwater. As part of their search ALERT asked the local Redwater detachment to stop a vehicle that had left the property.
“When he (a Redwater RCMP member) did, a second vehicle, a truck, rammed the police car and tried to run over the member,” Dodds said, adding the member then fired his weapon in an effort to defend himself.
The suspect then left the scene in the truck, leading police in a pursuit to Westlock and to the Barrhead area.
By that point, Dodds said, the suspect’s vehicle rear tires were gone and the suspect then ditched the truck and ran into a farmer’s field.
“Of course every farmyard on the prairies has a truck with the keys in it, so the pursuit starts all over again, until he reached Barrhead where he got into an accident, and tried to unsuccessfully steal another vehicle in the A &W drive thru,” he said, adding the incident ended when the suspect was apprehended by a dog team near the hospital.
“This is a perfect example of a drug related crime,” Dodds said. “Here is an 18 year-old man, who is facing as a result of that incident 31 charges. This is just one guy causing all this mayhem.”
Deputy reeve Doug Drozd said the people, especially those in the A&W parking lot, must have been frightened.
Dodds, agreed, adding that he was terrified not only for the safety of his members and the public, but on a personal level.
“My family and your family lives in this community and I thought we were going to have a disaster, but luckily for us someone was looking after us,” he said.
A week later, on June 12, Barrhead RCMP were able to arrest another individual after receiving a report about a suspicious vehicle in the Tiger Lily area. It turned out the vehicle belonged to the prime suspect in an investigation of mailbox thefts. Eventually the RCMP caught up to the vehicle at the Lunford cemetery where they arrested two individuals in the act of breaking into a locked garden shed on the property. Dodds said the pair are also suspected of a break in at another garden shed at another cemetery earlier on in the day.
“She is facing for that day 47 charges and when we add in everything from previous Barrhead and Edmonton files she is facing 90 charges,” he said, adding that additional charges will be laid after police investigate two volumes of diary records documenting all the things she had purchased using stolen credit cards. “And she too is hooked up in the meth community.”
Dodds said it may just be a coincidence, but since this woman was arrested, the detachment hasn’t received another complaint about mailbox theft.
“So this is what we are dealing with on a daily basis. When I look at the statistics I am embarrassed, but our members are working their tails off trying to keep up with everything and we are having some successes.”
