RCMP teams tackle rural hot spots

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This article was published 28/07/2020 (1989 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

New RCMP crime reduction teams dispatched to rural communities in Manitoba to infiltrate crime hot spots are making a difference, the provincial government announced Monday.

Three “crime reduction enforcement support teams” have been involved in 60 cases in northern, eastern and western Manitoba since March 1. The teams — each made up of five officers and an analyst — are based in Thompson, Dauphin and Selkirk. They work alone and with other RCMP units.

To date, the teams have led the RCMP to charge 43 people, seized more than 150 weapons and 25 vehicles (including off-road), and collected illegal substances, including 900 grams of meth and 300 grams of cocaine. They’ve also obtained $75,000, which will be invested in public safety, Manitoba Justice Minister Cliff Cullen said at a press conference at RCMP headquarters in Winnipeg.

Unlike regular RCMP officers that juggle investigations with day-to-day calls, the crime reduction teams have time to investigate crime hot spots, RCMP assistant commissioner Jane MacLatchy said.

“(They) give us an increased presence across Manitoba, and it also gives us that flexibility that we can actually focus on very targeted enforcement activities,” she said.

Many Manitobans are worried about rural crime, said MacLatchy.

“The proliferation of meth, opioids and other illicit drugs in our smaller towns and cities have brought new issues to our rural communities that were once considered big-city problems,” she said.

The “issues” include assaults, robberies, and property crimes. And often, repeat offenders are behind the offences, she said.

“Dozens and dozens of criminal complaints can often be linked to one suspect or to a group of individuals working together,” she said.

The teams have seized goods in Norway House, the RM of Rockwood, Minnedosa, Peguis First Nation, Swan River and Selkirk, among other areas.

The province committed $1.9 million to the program last November after deeming an initial pilot team in northern Manitoba successful. They spent the money on making the northern team bigger and expanding to eastern and western Manitoba.

The province will continue to monitor how effective the crime reduction program is, Cullen said.

He added that the provincial government has previously announced $40 million for addictions and mental health services.

“We are walking and chewing gum at the same time,” Cullen said. “We’re investing in both the policing and we’re investing in the social services that Manitobans require.”

The RCMP cover more than 99 per cent of the geography in Manitoba and 40 per cent of the province’s population.

gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca