Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
Recent crime statistics for the Town of Kindersley show traffic violations and thefts to be ongoing concerns in the community since the spring began.
The Kindersley RCMP detachment prepares reports for municipal officials in the area. Crimes committed in Kindersley over a three-month period from Feb. 1 to April 30 show that traffic violations picked up from the winter to the spring and thefts continue to be a concern.
Reported, unfounded and actual police responses are in the monthly reports, along with a breakdown of crimes or areas of police activity. The reports include criminal code violations, provincial statutes, written warnings and other activities.
There were 122 reported, six unfounded and 116 actual responses in April, 155 reported, four unfounded and 151 actual responses in March and 96 reported, eight unfounded and 88 actual responses in February. There was an increase of 63 actual responses from February to March, but activity decreased in April.
Provincial traffic offences and other police activities consume a majority of the calls for police. The two categories consumed 27 of 88 actual responses in February, 83 of 151 actual responses in March and 55 of 116 actual responses in April.
The term responses covers crimes and various other police activities. The reports also include calls for vehicle collisions. There were seven collisions in February, six collisions in March and only two collisions in April.
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In February, the highest individual crimes committed were 10 traffic offences, seven mischief crimes, five assaults, five thefts under $5,000 and four thefts over $5,000. In March, the highest individual crimes committed were 59 traffic offences, eight assaults, six thefts under $5,000, four mischief crimes and four impaired driving violations.
In April, the highest individual crimes committed were 32 traffic offences, eight thefts under $5,000, three possession of stolen goods crimes and three mischief crimes. There were two frauds and two impaired driving violations in April.
Cpl. Travis Doering of the Kindersley RCMP said the statistics in the reports are only based on calls and responses by the local detachment, so the reports don’t include activity from other detachments or joint units such as the joint traffic unit that operates in the region.
There was an increase of provincial traffic offences from 10 in February to 59 in March, but the frequency dropped to 32 in April. Doering said members of the detachment had a meeting early in March and there was a message shared regarding traffic patrols.
“We just kind of reminded everybody with the weather warming up and spring coming that we wanted guys to focus on traffic a little more,” he said, recognizing that traffic enforcement has been identified as a priority for 2018.
When asked about the category of other police activities, he said other activities could include calls for suspicious persons, animal calls such as for coyotes in town, and well being checks among others. A well being check is when police are called to check on people, especially elderly people, if they have not been heard from in a while.
The other activities category is a catch-all for calls that do not end up involving a crime, Doering said. A cow loose on the highway or an abandoned vehicle in a field are activities that would fall under the catch-all category.
He noted that there is not necessarily more crimes being committed or an increase in crime from winter to spring, but the police will respond to different types of crimes depending on the time of year. He said thefts tend to be a consistent crime during the year.
There were nine thefts in April, seven thefts in March and nine thefts in February including both thefts over and under $5,000. The corporal said if the number of thefts increased from eight thefts to 20 thefts from one month to the next, it would become an even greater concern for the detachment.
Doering said thefts are often consistent because the people stealing items need the money for one reason or another, so the weather does not have a huge impact on whether or not people commit thefts. People are reminded to secure property.
“They’re kind of crimes of opportunity,” he said about thefts, recognizing a couple of vehicles have already been stolen from fields in May. “Remove valuables from vehicles and try to lock them up whenever you possible can.”
The provincial traffic offences make up a big portion of the increase in responses from winter to spring and Doering said people tend to drive more carelessly when there is no snow on the roads. Police are more lenient with failing to stop at intersections in the winter due to the conditions, he noted.
Another category in the reports is Mental Health Act (the Act) and there were six actual responses in April and March. The corporal said if people are a threat to themselves or others due to being suicidal or having a nervous breakdown, they can be detained under the Act.
He said people are not charged under the Act, but it gives police the powers they need to ensure the person gets the help he or she needs. The person is taken straight to a doctor and the doctor determines if the person needs to remain in care.
There were five assaults in February, eight in March and one in April. Doering said several of the assaults are from domestic situations and it is hard to pinpoint a reason for a spike in assaults. People are encouraged to report all crimes no matter how petty, he added.
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