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RCMP meeting performance-plan goals

The Westlock RCMP are currently on track to meet, or surpass the goals of its annual performance plan (APP), says Staff Sgt. Al Baird.
Staff Sgt. Al Baird
Westlock RCMP Staff Sgt. Al Baird presented his quarterly report to town council Sept. 24. The detachment is currently meeting or exceeding the goals laid out in its annual performance plan, he said.

The Westlock RCMP are currently on track to meet, or surpass the goals of its annual performance plan (APP), says Staff Sgt. Al Baird.

The local detachment’s commanding officer presented his quarterly report, which included updates on the APP, human resources, finances and a town-wide crime report, to council Sept. 24.

The three-goal APP was arrived upon by town and RCMP representatives earlier this year and police have been working towards meeting the listed goals ever since.

The goals include enhancing road safety; preventing and reducing the threat and impact of serious and organized crime; and contributing to the mental and physical health of both members and public servants.

The road safety plan is two-fold and is headed by Cpl. Fil Vicente, said Baird.

“This plan includes not only enforcement, but education, like the PARTY Program that we bring to the schools to talk to the kids about impaired driving.”

“Our enforcement includes everything from targeted patrols, when we get called in from complaints from citizens or on our routine patrols,” he said.

This year, traffic members have written 427 tickets.

“We’ve charged 11 impaired drivers this year so far and the Westlock Integrated Traffic Unit has laid 1,253 charges, including six impaired charges, not just in town, but in the county as well.”

The second goal of the APP is to manage well-known offenders in the community. Cpl. Dennis Properzi is in charge of this file.

“Our annual performance plan also deals with prolific offenders and targeting those that are causing repeat crimes and keeping close tabs on them so when they are released from the courts or jail and they have conditions we’re making sure that we are dedicating members to actually follow-up and check with them,” Baird said.

RCMP have identified four prolific offenders in the area as well as three crime houses and the people in them, he said. The detachment is also working with local agencies to identify offenders and crime hot spots throughout the town.

As we know, and we’re finding out, it’s the small minority of people are committing a vast majority of the property crime. We do have some, for lack of a better term, up-and-comers ... A lot of the property crime is also drug related.

“We’ve had all sorts of drug seizures, from meth to fentanyl to some marijuana seizures. The drugs are around and property crime and drugs usually go hand-in-hand.”

The third aspect of the APP is to keep members and public servants healthy in all regards. This is being headed up by Baird himself.

“If I can keep the staff healthy physically and mentally, we won’t have the vacancies and the stress on the other members,” he said.

Crime stats

From January through August, persons crimes in the town limits are up 26 from this time last year, while there have been 106 more property crimes reported, mostly because of an increase from 45 in 2017 to 174 so far this year.

Baird attributed that to his mandating that all fraud complaints be documented, even though there is very little follow-up his members can do for many of the files.

“It’s a little bit of a jump, but there’s nothing that jumps out that is concerning to me,” he said, though he admitted an increase in sex assaults and robberies is worrisome.

Sexual assaults and other sexual offenses have ballooned from eight in 2017 to 19 so far this year. There have also been eight robberies, up from zero last year.

Assaults are down slightly, but uttering threats files are up from 11 to 21.

There have also been more break and enters and vehicle thefts, but thefts under $5,000 are down significantly from 139 to 105.

Drug possession charges have also increased from four to 17, but no production or trafficking charges have been laid. There have also been 20 federal charges under the Liquor Act, up from just four in 2017.

Offensive weapons charges have also increased from two to seven.

Coun. Murtaza Jamaly pointed out that provincial traffic charges had increased the most, from 142 to 575.

“I’ve directed my guys to get out on the road and to detect traffic offenses and to lay appropriate charges. That helps us several ways. They get out there, they get their nose in a vehicle, they now pick up people who have warrants, they pick up suspended drivers, they pick up property offenses and drugs,” said Baird.

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