Staff Sergeant Tim Sartison (far left) and other members of the RCMP giving a presentation at the town hall meeting. (Nikita Ganovicheff/meadowlakeNOW Staff)

By Nikita Ganovicheff

Community Concerns

Traffic safety and drug use highlights of RCMP Town Hall

May 2, 2019 | 12:58 PM

The Meadow Lake RCMP held its third town hall meeting Wednesday night at the Catholic Church Hall.

About 10 members from different police departments were there to discuss their responsibilities and take questions.

Around 20 residents were in attendance, which is down from previous meetings.

Staff Sgt. Tim Sartison said they are looking into holding their town halls in more of informal settings like a barbecue at the detachment to bring in more people.

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“Hopefully we get some more attendance and some more interaction,” Sartison said. “People that are maybe not as comfortable speaking in a formal setting but would still like to come and interact with the police.”

The presentation started with an overview of the detachment and their successes which included recent drug enforcement, the suppression of gang activity and the creation of a force house on the Flying Dust First Nation.

The Saskatchewan Crime Watch Advisory Network was also a focus during the town hall. The network is a system that will send out an advisory about a crime in the area through e-mail, text or phone a call. Residents can sign up through the website to get the alerts.

An issue brought up by a resident was the rise of crystal meth use in the city. Early in his presentation, Sartison said most of calls that come in to the detachment are about substance abuse.

Sartison said whenever they see is an increase in meth use, they will also see an increase in property crime, like cars being broken into to steal valuables or change.

He said the Meadow Lake detachment is a leader in intelligence-led policing.

“We have several members that are intelligence-led that work with, what we call our confidential informants,” Sartison told meadowlakeNOW. “They provide us with information and that information is in turn used on drug search warrants or to locate suspects in investigations. Meadow Lake has always prided itself on being very intelligence-led. We know the value of that information and we use it regularly in our investigations.”

Sartison said the best way to combat drugs in the city is to educate the public about the effects of drugs. One of the ways he hopes to educate youth in the city is to have a liaison with the Youth Centre.

A concerned Meadow Lake resident also brought up the issue of distracted driving within the city. Specifically, the issue of people using their cellphones while driving.

“I have a little one and sometimes I don’t want to drive and be out and about because of this,” said the resident, who did not want to be named.

Cpl. Nicholas Popovic said it is a focus for the Traffic and Road Safety division and they will soon have two new hires to help catch more distracted drivers in the city and surrounding areas.

Popovic also mentioned cannabis road kits are on route to the detachment. The reason it takes time to get this equipment is because a member of the RCMP has to complete a list of prerequisites before they can use the kit.

Sartison added foot patrols will begin again once the weather starts clearing up.

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nikita.ganovicheff@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @Nikitaganov