Staff Sergeant Jeff Sehn outlined the Westlock RCMP’s priorities at the latest Westlock and District Chamber of Commerce meeting on Aug. 19.
One of the priorities identified by the Westlock RCMP in their quarterly report included greater community engagement, where they endeavoured to make efforts for more appearances at community events, such as the Chamber of Commerce’s monthly meetings.
The Westlock RCMP’s other priorities for 2025/26 include reducing crime by prolific offenders, crime reduction, and mental health and substance abuse resource engagement.
For prolific offender crime reduction, the RCMP have prioritized locating prolific offenders and warrant holders. Sehn brought up a man who was recently arrested in the Vimy area as a result of this priority, who had an outstanding warrant in Fort Saskatchewan.
The RCMP have recently been dealing with the catch and release crime policy where many prolific offenders are spending short periods in jail before being released and beginning new crime sprees.
Sehn brought up two offenders, including one man in the Westlock area with 50 criminal charges, who was recently arrested on a travelling crime spree in Saskatchewan, and another man with 41 criminal charges.
“I can tell you these two are already out. They spent the maximum of six months in jail on all those charges,” said Sehn.
The RCMP’s goal of supporting those with mental health challenges allows them to play a role in cases of mental health or substance abuse where someone is at an immediate risk to themselves or others.
The RCMP plays a similar role with substance abuse and homelessness, where they cannot force drug treatment or criminalize homelessness, but may intervene in what they classify as high-risk situations.
“Loitering, vagrancy and dumpster diving are not necessarily illegal. A lot of the time we get business owners calling us, saying this homeless guy's there. If he's just homeless, there's nothing we can do,” said Sehn.
The RCMP have also set up a traffic safety group for greater enforcement along Highway 44 between Westlock and Slave Lake which includes eight different enforcement agencies.
