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As a result of weekend operations in the Prince Albert area, police recovered nine vehicles reported as stolen and responded to four break-and-enter reports.
There were also a number of proactive patrols in the Garden River, Meath Park, Paddockwood, Shellbrook, Buckland and Sturgeon Lake First Nation areas.
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These were among the details shared during a news conference Monday morning outside the Prince Albert RCMP detachment, which included representatives from the provincial government, RCMP and the Saskatchewan Marshals Service.
Inspector Robert Lake, the Saskatchewan RCMP’s north district operations officer, said the weekend operation included the arrest of a 24-year-old woman from Sturgeon Lake, who is facing 11 charges.
“A number of weapons were recovered from the vehicle as well as multiple unrelated vehicle keys,” he said.
As reported by paNOW last week, between August and October, there were 58 reports of break-and-enters in the Prince Albert RCMP detachment area and 122 reports of thefts. Lake expressed his sympathy for property owners who have been victimized and the many others who are feeling on edge.
“I want you to know your concerns raised are heard,” Lake said, stating the plan is to increase patrols and continue working with the Marshals Service and other policing partners.
“We have a vested interest in the safety of this community. We live here too, and I’m proud of the work we’re doing.”
Lake recognized the work of the local crime-watch groups and responded to a concern about police not releasing details about every incident.
“The reason is that it reduces the effectiveness of these operations, but we commit to reporting the outcome of these when the time is appropriate,” he said.
Since mid-September, the Sask. RCMP’s warrant enforcement and suppression team made 17 arrests related to property crime and weapons offences, executed 47 warrants and laid 19 new charges.
This past weekend’s operation, as well as work done over the past few months, was a result of a partnership between the RCMP and the Marshals Service. Superintendent Jesse Barlow said the weekend operation was developed on Friday and executed the same day.
“Sometimes those issues are immediate, and we need to provide an immediate response,” Barlow said.
Barlow said the force was able to round up four Marshals for Friday and Saturday, and the intelligence they gathered was shared with the RCMP.
“Many of our members have strong ties to Prince Albert and surrounding communities. We recognize crime impacts not only victims in the broader public but friends, family and communities close to us,” he said.
“This is not just a police response. It’s a community response.”
Also present for Friday’s news conference was Micahel Weger, Saskatchewan’s minister of community safety and the minister responsible for the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency.
“The reality is we have seen an increase in rural crime year over year, so we need to respond, because at the end of the day, the priority of our government is that everyone deserves to feel safe and secure in their community and, most importantly, their homes,” Weger said.
Weger confirmed he met with the RCMP and the Marshals and heard about their collaborations.
The minister responded to a question about chronic offenders being released from custody. He said the government’s budget added $2 million to Saskatchewan’s electronic monitoring program.
“And we’re having further discussions here in the office today about gathering further information on individuals who may have committed these types of crimes, and making sure there is an added focus on monitoring those individuals,” Weger said.
