Local

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Police warrant apprehension unit makes its 1,000th arrest

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 01/28/2013 12:05 PM | Comments: 0

Provincial and police officials this morning touted the success of a joint Winnipeg Police Service and RCMP unit created to track down serious felons.

The Manitoba integrated warrant apprehension unit made its 1,000th arrest and is credited with keeping Manitoba streets safer from hard-core criminals.

"The work of this unit is making Manitoba streets, our communities, our neighbourhoods, safer," Justice Minister Andrew Swan said during a news conference at the downtown Public Safety Building.

The integrated warrant apprehension unit consists of three Winnipeg police officers and three RCMP officers whose job is to track down wanted violent offenders and individuals who have breached court conditions or skipped out on court appearances for such serious crimes as property, driving, drug and weapons offences.

It is funded by the Selinger government, which set up the unit in September 2011, at the request of the two police forces.

Winnipeg police Sgt. John O’Donovan, who has been with the unit since the beginning, said the success of the unit frees up the work of general patrol officers.

O’Donovan said about 70 per cent of the unit’s arrests have been violent offenders who were eluding capture.

O’Donovan said the unit has proven successful in tracking down individuals who have fled the jurisdiction of rural police and RCMP detachments to hide in Winnipeg.

Swan said the unit’s success has helped restore public confidence in the justice system, adding felons realize they cannot escape responsibility to appear in court.

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Local

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.