Crimes against people and property declined in January compared to 2021, but the police chief says those statistics don’t fully capture everything police handle — such as responding to suicides.
There were 29 crimes against people last month compared to 43 incidents in 2021, a decline of 32.6 per cent, while there were 66 crimes against property in January compared to 110 the year before, a decline of 40 per cent, Police Chief Rick Bourassa said during the recent meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners.
Moreover, police responded to 1,115 calls for service last month versus 1,172 calls in 2021, a drop of 4.9 per cent.
Meanwhile, police made 14 drug seizures in January that captured 134.1 grams of crystal meth, 5.1 grams of fentanyl, 33.2 grams of illegal cannabis and 5.2 grams of cocaine.
“These are snapshots of time periods. We look at the longer-term trends,” said Bourassa, adding while the stats are weighted to criminal matters, police are more involved in non-criminal issues in the community.
The “vast majority” of police efforts are focused on community initiatives and residents’ well-being, said Supt. Devon Oleniuk, who gave some examples of recent activities.
In early January, officers went to the Co-op grocery store about a man attempting to stay warm inside. However, it was clear to officers that he had overdosed on drugs, so they called EMS, and paramedics gave the man several doses of naloxone.
“Ironically, when this individual did come around, he was very upset because it ruined his high. So, he continued to receive more medical treatment and was transported to the hospital, where he was given even more Narcan,” Oleniuk said.
Another occurrence affecting Moose Jaw is suicides, he continued. Police regularly support the coroner’s office during its investigations of non-criminal situations such as people taking their own lives.
Suicides are challenging, although the police service takes pride in handling those situations and supporting individuals and the community, Oleniuk remarked. Officers are usually stressed dealing with suicides since they must rule out criminal activity as the cause. However, the police service has "a robust inventory of internal and external resources" to support members' psychological health.
“Those (suicides) are a significant task on the members, keeping in mind that sometimes these are young people who have the same-aged kids at home,” he added. “So, some challenging scenarios surface there.”
Another example of supporting the community occurred when new K-9 team Const. Casey Lea and partner Mace captured their first criminal, Oleniuk said.
Police were called to an apartment building about an incident, and the suspect fled. The K-9 team tracked the man to a resident’s garage, where they found him passed out. Officers kicked in the door and arrested the man but called EMS since he had overdosed on fentanyl.
The woman — originally from Toronto — who owned the garage was devastated about her door, which made her loathing of living in Saskatchewan even worse, said Oleniuk. However, police secured a community contractor to fix the damage for free; officers later charged the suspect with break-and-enter.
There are also “some neat things happening” with the Police and Crisis Team (PACT) unit, which has built bridges in the community during the pandemic, he added.
For example, PACT sometimes takes residents to the hospital for monthly medication injections. However, to give them some dignity, the unit drives into the ambulance bay and a nurse gives the injection through the car window.
During the recent cold spell, police brought homeless residents to either the Ramada Hotel or the cells to stay warm, Bourassa said. While the cells aren’t flashy, the police service can offer food, water and washrooms.
The next Board of Police Commissioners meeting is Thursday, March 10.
