Police partnerships
- Details
- Published on Sunday, June 7, 2015
By Bruce Klassen
Rivers Police Service
Rivers Police Service joined seven other police agencies and Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) during May. We participated in STEP (Selective Traffic Enforcement Program), aimed at drivers who continue to use hand-held electronic devices.
MPI provided funding for additional enforcement to help reduce this very dangerous driving behaviour. On average, one in four road deaths in Manitoba are attributed to distracted driving.The illegal use of hand-held electronic devices while driving is dangerous and completely unacceptable at all times.Drivers caught using a hand-operated electronic device (including cell phones) received a $200 ticket and moved down two levels on their driver safety rating, resulting in higher insurance rates. By the time STEP ended in Rivers, we issued 18 provincial offence notices — two each forcell phone use, seat belt and warrants for arrest, while the rest were for speeding infractions.
Rivers Police Service also participated in the Walk with Your Doc on May 29. I would also like to remind people of the double solid line on Second Avenue. It is contrary to the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) to cross a double solid line. Police have been issuing warnings thus far, but you may be charged under section 110 HTA which has a fine of $143.75 and two demerits, resulting in a higher vehicle insurance rate.
May had a total of 70 calls for service. One violent crime was reported, in the extortion, uttering threats, etc. category which is the first for 2015. We have now dealt with four violent crimes this year, including two assaults and one sexual offence.
Theft under $5,000 and property damage often go hand-in-hand. We had one case each and the 2015 total thus far is seven of each; these two property crimes are all that were reported in May.
There were two reports of fraud and two other Criminal Code crimes (breaches, public mischief, harassing phone calls, etc.) in May; all Criminal Code charges in Rivers in 2015 amount to 30.
There were no federal traffic cases and no reportable motor vehicle accidents in May; however, we did lay 21 provincial traffic charges in the speeding, etc. category, which now totals 40. Of the five categories in the provincial traffic code, Rivers has only dealt with the speeding, no licence, etc. section.
Four full months passed before any charges were necessary in the Liquor and Gaming Control Act; May saw police charge one minor for possession/consumption of alcohol. Another intoxicated persons /breach of the peace in May brought that total to seven.
We enforced the nuisance bylaw once and the burning bylaw twice. Rivers Police Service is also responsible for animal control and traffic bylaws; to date these four bylaws have been enforced 11 times.
We assisted the public twice in May, other agencies four times and helped RCMP in the former RM of Daly twice as well. Police have now assisted the public a dozen times, RCMP 10 times and other agencies 7 times.
Loyal readers of this report will know miscellaneous statistics account for the majority of our time and May was no different. Of the 70 calls last month, 29 files belonged in this section. There were three community relations, one missing persons (located), seven noisy parties/disturbances and 18 miscellaneous calls, including unfounded complaints. There are now 119 cases in the miscellaneous category.
