RCMP are cracking down on repeat offenders, particularly those who have multiple outstanding warrants for their arrests. The Western Alberta District RCMP Rural Crime Reduction Unit, in what police call a planned warrant initiative, executed 41 outstanding warrants between September 21st and October 30th.
Media Relations Officer Corporal Ronald Bumbry says for a team to execute 41 warrants in a little over a month is exponentially more than normal.
“It is a large amount, more so than your normal detachment. Like Drayton Valley, I couldn’t tell you how many warrants they execute in a month but I’ll guarantee it’s not 41 in a one-month period,” he says. “[It’s] maybe five or six in some of these detachment areas.”
The goal behind the initiative was to target prolific offenders across Alberta RCMP’s Western Alberta District in the rural communities of Peace River, Grimshaw, High Prairie, Atikameg First Nations, Peavine Metis Settlement, and Drayton Valley, Alta.
Throughout this initiative, RCMP recovered a stolen vehicle and conducted vehicle stops and check stops that resulted in charges for offences including impaired driving, operating a motor vehicle while suspended, operating a motor vehicle without registration, and operating a motor vehicle while uninsured.
Bumbry adds these types of initiatives are common and tend to occur when there is a spike in warrants for a given area, particularly when they are against certain individuals.
“These types of initiatives are always ongoing. Once they complete an initiative, they move into possibly something else depending on what’s happening in the district,” says Bumbry. “If they find there’s a huge increase in regards to warrants, they’ll target specific people they believe to be linked potentially with other crimes.”
Bumbry adds multiple arrests were made while executing the outstanding warrants, two of which lead to more charges being added against the suspects.