In a recent two-week period, the Lloydminster RCMP Detachment responded to 659 calls for service, but this does not include traffic ticket files.
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Some of these were proactively generated by officers while most are calls from the public regarding various events and issues. In order to provide our city residents with a bit of insight into what police are doing, here is a summary.
Officers responded to 33 wellbeing checks. These are often due to someone not hearing from a family member or friend and fear something has happened to them. These types of reports can often take many hours and sometimes morph into a missing-persons investigation. In all but rare cases, the person is located as they went somewhere and for one reason or another, didn’t inform family or friends they were leaving.
A total of 48 traffic collisions were reported in addition to seven hit-and-run incidents.
An officer isn’t required to attend all collisions as some come in to report them afterward. Even if an officer doesn’t attend, there is still work to be done by the detachment support staff on the administration side.
For virtually every collision there is at least one at-fault driver as almost every collision is avoidable. On slippery streets, all drivers need to slow down to a safe speed.
Please remember speed limits only apply to perfect driving conditions. This is why there are a few speed-related offenses drivers can be ticketed for without a specific speed being determined by a speed device.
The less favorable the roads and driving conditions, the slower drivers need to go. Depending upon circumstances, driving within the speed limit can still get you a speed-related ticket. We had 13 stolen vehicles reported and 116 reports of mischief (See the Nov. 11, 2024 issue of the Meridian Source for the article explaining mischief).
There were 18 calls involving provincial Mental Health Acts. These can vary widely from officers attending and leaving, to apprehensions and escorts to a mental health facility.
We also had 18 reports of fraud. These can involve money, property or stolen identity related crimes.
Eighteen false alarms were acted upon and 14 break and enters were, or are, being investigated.
There were 37 investigations opened for people failing to attend court as ordered or failing to comply with their release conditions.
The failure to comply with release conditions can often be proactive charges as officers conduct compliance checks such as on someone who has a court ordered curfew and they are not home when checked.
A total of 45 assistance files were opened and 39 files were created due to 911 calls. Calls to 911 are another grouping of calls that can range widely in the reasons for the calls.
Some of these are also pocket dials and other types of accidental 911 calls. Preventing these calls from being made would be greatly appreciated by our call centre staff as they take time and possibly a dispatched officer to confirm the 911 call was accidental.
– Staff Sgt. Jerry Nutbown, is the NCO in charge of the Lloydminster RCMP detachment’s General Investigation Section. Stay tuned for future articles from the Lloydminster RCMP.
This column was originally published in the Jan. 23, 2025, edition of the Meridian Source.
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