STAY CONNECTED: Have the stories that matter most delivered every night to your email inbox. Subscribe to our daily local news wrap.
By Justine Kelsie

Property crime down in Grande Prairie: RCMP

May 30, 2018 | 3:19 PM

RCMP is seeing fewer property crimes taking place in Grande Prairie.

Superintendent Don McKenna says they make a list of priorities to focus on every year. Right now, they are focussing on reducing person and property crimes, enhancing road safety, reducing impact of drugs, and working on issues involving street engaged people.

So far this year, the RCMP detachment is seeing a decrease in property crimes. In the first three months of the year, there have been 80 break and enters compared to 95 in 2017 and 138 in 2016. McKenna attributes this to their focus on habitual offenders.

“Property crime is not often one person saying, ‘you know what, I think I am going to go steal a car today’. People who steal cars have often done it many times before and they will plan on doing it many times in the future. If we focus our attention on them, intercept them, and stop them from stealing cars, there will be less cars stolen,” said McKenna.

There have also been fewer drug arrests this year. There were 149 in the first part of the year, compared 187 in the first quarter of last year.

McKenna says the Crime Reduction Unit has been making an impact in the community including a major take-down at a motel west of downtown earlier this year.

“We executed 94 warrants. That is quite a few people we arrested who were on the lamb. Of course, we found imitation handguns, stolen vehicles, and drugs.”

He says it was a 12-day police stint and during those days call volumes went down 65 per cent.

Total drug crime is down, and overall crime is holding steady, according to statistics provided by RCMP. Although robberies are down slightly, assaults are up. Last year there were 262 assaults in the first part of the year compared to 290 this year.

As they continue to focus in on their priorities, McKenna says the detachment is also bracing for legalization of marijuana. The biggest worry for him is the social impact it will have once it is readily available to the public. When it comes to the law surrounding cannabis, there is a still a lot up in the air. 

“As far as the driving goes, if someone is clearly impaired, we will go with whatever driving evidence we have for cannabis. Of course, there will be other laws of where you can consume it as well. You certainly won’t be able to smoke joints in cars.”

McKenna provides updates on the state of crime in the city throughout the year. The first quarter update was presented at a city committee meeting on Tuesday, May 29.

by Justine Kelsie