On Monday, February 29, Drumheller Staff Sgt. Grant MacDonald presented the RCMP’s Annual Performance Plan to Town Council.
Staff Sgt. MacDonald explained, “The RCMP’s first priority is to increase police visibility. This will be measured by surveys. The information will be gathered and used at the next annual performance plan.”
MacDonald continued, “The second priority is to increase traffic safety, which is important in Drumheller, as we are a tourist destination. Drumheller RCMP are achieving targets and increasing traffic safety, however increase in traffic offenses rose 48% in tickets written. The creation of a dedicated traffic person in Drumheller has paid off in spades.”
MacDonald further explained, “Our third priority is reducing property crime. We had decreases in break-ins to residences by 20% and reductions to thefts from motor vehicles by 8%, however there was a modest increase of 2% in mischief. We have members actively doing foot patrols downtown at night, so we won’t see so many occurrences happen.”
McDonald continued further, “Our last priority has to do with crime reductions strategically, by reducing the number of criminal code cases. Our goal was 10% and we achieved 8.7% for last year. The RCMP has positioned dedicated members at the penitentiary and they are being successful by holding inmates accountable for their actions. The inmates at the penitentiary are also responsible for the significant spikes in offensive weapons. The RCMP will be scheduling a meeting to review the stats with management at the penitentiary and see what precautions can be taken to help modify their system.”
“One stat that really stands out is fraud. There were only 33 reported cases in 2014 and 42 in 2015. Since January 2016, the RCMP have already seen a slight increase, in particular the revenue tax agency scam. Because tax season is on the horizon, there will be a continuation of that fraud. Public education and fraud sessions have already been held at the Drumheller library and senior’s centres. The RCMP have distributed posters, at the Pioneer Trail Society for emergency contact numbers if someone should fall victim to fraud.” stated MacDonald.
Possession of drugs, mainly small amounts of marijuana, were 103 in 2014 and 123 in 2015.
Given the economic climate, the RCMP anticipates potential crimes against people to increase. Money is tight and homeowners are having a hard time making their mortgage payment, therefore there is more stress in the home, which translates to increased calls to the police. This year there has been a rise in the number of domestic violence calls the RCMP receive. Another trend the RCMP are concerned with is sexual assault. Drumheller numbers are low, but even one is too many. The RCMP are going to be looking for partnership opportunities, increasing local awareness and hope to see the trend be reversed.
Council’s wish list for this year include, increased foot patrols at night, education on distracted driving and increased visibility.
