Red Deer’s new RCMP building is proving to be bad new for drunk drivers.
Because they have more space and better facilities for processing suspects, officers are arresting and charging more of the people they believe to be driving while impaired, Insp. Brian Simpson told a gathering of about 18 to 20 citizens during a town hall meeting at the G.H. Dawe Community Centre on Thursday evening.
Before the move, Red Deer RCMP typically laid impaired driving charges against 12 to 14 drivers every weekend, Simpson said.
Since April 18, when the detachment moved into its new building, that number has jumped to 26 or more charges laid per weekend, he said.
The shift supervisors have explained to him that people who would have received a 24-hour suspension in the past are now more likely to face impaired driving charges because the arresting officers have more space and better facilities.
Simpson thanked the small gathering of people who attended the town hall for their investment in the new building, saying that the front counter has been much busier than before.
He said that while he has no data to support his theory, he suspects the reason more people come in relates to the improved visibility and parking. He has spoken to people who had attempted to lay complaints at the old building, but gave up after circling the block three times to find a parking spot.
“(The new detachment) has got a lot of room. We have the ability to do the job. It’s built to the right size and we’ve got room to grow in it,” said Simpson.
He went on to describe policing priorities that have been identified through the detachment’s annual policing plan, which includes input from members of the community.
Last year, Red Deer RCMP placed crime reduction downtown at the top of its three priorities.
“Our downtown crime rate is down by 17 per cent over the previous year. We were shooting for around 10 per cent, so 17 per cent is a good number,” said Simpson.
Traffic safety has been identified as the top priority this year, said Simpson.
“The biggest issue causing death and injury in this community relates to traffic offences. We’ve already had one fatality this year, and that’s too many.”
Detachment personnel were to meet today to talk about reducing violations, particularly involving impaired driving and speeding, through enforcement and education, he said.
“I’m still trying to figure this out. People will race to through a light and then they’ll spend 15 minutes in a lineup to get a coffee.”
Simpson stressed that Red Deer is a safe city with a large contingent of volunteers working in crime prevention, victim services and other programs as well as a large number of citizens willing to report unusual or suspicious activities.
“Overall, this is a very good community, and part of the reason it is a good community is we get very good support from the public in terms of phoning in. We may not necessarily be able to do anything with it, but that information is captured and it forms part of our decision base . . . so that’s where the information is of value.”
Red Deer City RCMP and the Crime Prevention Advisory Committee have been hosting town halls every six months for the past 3.5 years at various locations throughout the city, said Simpson. Previous meetings have attracted 35 to 80 people.
Although Thursday’s town hall meeting attracted a much smaller crowd, not including city staff, RCMP and various volunteer groups, Simpson said the meeting was worthwhile.
“If there’s one person here, there’s value in doing this. We need to be available to the community and your input is valuable to us,” he said.
Anyone interested in getting involved with crime prevention is invited to attend a forum next Tuesday, hosted by the City of Red Deer. The Crime Prevention and Policing Review Forum will meet from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Golden Circle to exchange ideas.
bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com