By Phillip Maiani

RCMP in Rocky Mountain House saw an overall reduction in crime trends late last year.

That according to the RCMP’s third quarter crime statistics for the detachment, which covered stats from Oct. 1-Dec.31, 2021, and were shared with Clearwater County council this week.

According to the report, there were 91 persons crimes committed over that span in 2021, marking a 36 per cent decrease from 2020. Property crime was down six per cent in the last quarter of 2021 and other criminal code crimes saw a 41 per cent decrease in the same time frame.

The last quarter of 2021 also saw a 43 per cent increase in criminal code traffic offences and a 21 per cent decrease in provincial code traffic offences. Motor vehicle collisions saw a 30 per cent increase from October to December 2021 compared to the year prior.

Common police activities such as false alarms, missing persons, suspicious persons/vehicles/property, and search warrants also trended downward in the final quarter of 2021 as opposed to 2020.

Yearly crime statistics for the entirety of 2021 saw downward trends when compared to 2020.

In the Rocky Mountain House detachment area from January to December 2021, there was a total of 483 persons crimes, a 13 per cent decrease from 2020. There was a six per cent decrease in property crime and a 19 per cent decrease in other criminal code offences.

Criminal code traffic offences were down 23 per cent while provincial code traffic offences fell four per cent this past year compared to 2020. There were 497 motor vehicle collisions during 2021, a one per cent increase from the year before.

Rocky Mountain House RCMP believe that the pandemic did play a role in the downward trends but it wasn’t the only factor.

“This reduction is no doubt due in part to the COVID pandemic, however, our continued efforts in crime prevention and reduction through the combined efforts of our CRU, GIS and GD members has also had a significant impact on these numbers,” said Staff Sergeant Carl Dinsdale in the report.

Over the final quarter of 2021, Rocky Mountain House RCMP had three main community priorities; crime reduction, enhancing road safety, and engaging with the community.

Under the first priority of crime reduction, RCMP members engaged in one street level Drug Trafficking Undercover Investigation which resulted in the seizure of firearms and charges being laid.

The Crime Reduction Unit’s continued targeting of prolific offenders has also been a factor in the decrease in crime statistics, say RCMP.

Meanwhile, the second community priority of enhancing road safety saw several check-stops set up in the area associated with impaired driving initiatives and the holiday season. Approximately 900 vehicles were checked during this reporting period and led to 18 warnings being given out and a total of 80 charges being laid.

The final community priority of the RCMP’s third quarter, was community engagement. Over this time there were 13 community engagement events which included meetings with local community groups from Rocky Mountain House, Clearwater County, O’Chiese, and Sunchild First Nations. The detachment is hoping to host an in-person Town Hall event later on in the year.

As of Dec. 31, 2021, there are currently 17 police officers and five detachment support staff employed at the Rocky Mountain House detachment.

Later this spring, some front-line officers in Alberta will be wearing body cameras as part of a pilot project aimed at increasing the transparency between law enforcement and citizens. Front-line officers from detachments in Grande Prairie, Parkland, St. Paul, and Gleichen will take part in the pilot.