The vehicle used by enhanced policing officers has no winter tires. (file photo/paNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

enhanced policing

‘It’s not safe’: La Ronge RCMP officer critical about lack of winter tires on detachment fleet

Jan 16, 2020 | 5:03 PM

La Ronge RCMP Const. Kaitlin Moore told town councillors the new vehicle she and two other municipality-paid police officers use for day-to-day operations is unsafe.

She made the remark at a regular council meeting Wednesday, when she presented an update about the enhanced policing project which began two months ago. She said the biggest issue they are faced with right now is a lack of proper winter tires on their vehicle.

“It’s not safe. We’re scared that if we had to slam the breaks we’re just going to slide,” she said. “I was talking to a member who said he almost slid into a car and he was doing everything he could. We’re quite lucky that didn’t happen.”

As council has the understanding they are not responsible for such costs, they questioned how it came to be that they would be asked to make the purchase. Moore responded she was told to bring the issue before council to see what a decision would be before moving forward. She noted, however, none of the RCMP trucks have winter tires and it doesn’t seem to be a priority at this point.

“I would think something like tires, especially with us being not responsible for the equipment, that it would be a high safety priority,” Deputy-Mayor Matthew Klassen said. “Not just for themselves, but for other vehicles.”

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Coun. Dallas Everest also had concerns about the request.

“It was my understanding we were not responsible for any vehicles or anything like that, but if we were to do that, we would take it off the bill,” he said.

As for the crime statistics in La Ronge for December, there were 273 calls. Of those, there were 74 alcohol-related calls, four drug-related, 31 provincial traffic safety offences, three for impaired driving, 52 for liquor act/disturbing the peace, 22 breaches or failures to appear, 27 crimes against persons such as assault, 81 crimes against property like vandalism, seven calls from business owners and eight missing person/well-being checks.

Moore also called New Year’s Eve a busy day, adding there were six officers working. She said she personally responded to 20 calls. Officers patrolled for any impaired people on the streets during the festivities.

“I wanted to highlight especially the residential patrols we’ve been doing,” Moore said. “That number is significantly up at 138 and honestly, prior to this position, I think we were just driving through residential areas responding to calls.”

Moore also included crime stats in Air Ronge for December. She said the 60 calls for service include four traffic collisions, 12 provincial traffic safety offences, three liquor act/disturbing the peace, seven crimes against persons, 14 crimes against property, six false alarms and one missing person/well-being check.

Editor’s note: RCMP have confirmed they run winter tires on all the vehicles at the detachment and informed larongeNOW that Cst. Moore was not aware of this and misspoke at the council meeting. The vehicle she was referring to has the factory all-season tires on it. The RCMP detachment told larongeNOW there was no danger to the public regarding the tires they use on their vehicles.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno