RCMP in Melfort are working on public education as one way to reduce crime. (File photo/CKOM) 

By Doug Lett

Melfort RCMP Year in Review

RCMP look to public education to reduce crime

Jan 17, 2023 | 8:00 AM

The head of Melfort’s RCMP detachment says drugs and addictions are adding to the crime rate in the region.

“The big thing is, we’ve noticed there’s an increase in drug use,” Staff Sgt. Darren Simons, the officer in charge of Melfort Detachment, said.

“So with mental wellness and addictions, then they need to feed their habit. And then that’s where we get thefts,” he said. “But the more difficult you make it for someone to steal something, the more difficult it is for them to steal it.”

Simons said educating the public to reduce crime is one of the things members at detachment hope to focus on.

“The more you can do to prevent people from breaking the law, the easier it is for us to do our job,” he said.

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Thefts and break-ins reported by the Melfort detachment varied from 15 in December to 33 in August.

Other crimes also vary from month to month.

It’s a similar story for the Nipawin RCMP detachment, which reported 14 cases of theft and break and enter in December, compared to 39 in August.

“If you leave your keys in a running vehicle, it’s going to be stolen,” Simons said. “If you hide your keys in an unlocked vehicle, it’s going to be stolen. We find that there’s an increase in stolen vehicles throughout the country, because people leave things easy for someone to steal. Likewise, if you have a shop, or house, the door should be locked at all times. It just makes it that much more difficult for people to get in steal things,” he said.

In November Simons told Melfort city council that the RCMP in the province and across the country is struggling with recruitment, and that hasn’t changed.

“On paper we look fully staffed, but in reality we’re still short,” he said. Several Melfort officers are on various types of leave.

But for his detachment in 2022, said Simons, the tragedy on James Smith Cree Nation overshadowed everything else.

“For us, the one that overrides everything else is the incident in James Smith and Weldon,” Simons said. Eleven people were killed in a stabbing rampage on Sept. 4. The suspect, Myles Sanderson, was arrested by RCMP on Sept. 7, and died shortly afterwards in police custody.

Simons said they are committed to working with James Smith as the community works to develop its own security.

“We know James Smith has started working having their own security, we’re working with them… and we are looking forward to their continued development,” he said.

Other than that, Simons noted their focus remains on providing the best policing they can which includes spreading the word about crime prevention.

“Like I said, our focus is on education. The more people work towards preventing stuff happening, the easier it is for us to deal with the other matters,” he said.