RCMP Sgt. Brent Nicol told town council the detachment has only 17 out of 28 officer at the moment. (YouTube)

By Derek Cornet

RCMP update

Alcohol-fueled crime demanding on La Ronge RCMP officers

Nov 9, 2022 | 4:36 PM

La Ronge RCMP Sgt. Brent Nicol says it seems like every night is a Friday night in town.

He made the statement to La Ronge council at a regular meeting on Tuesday. Nicol was there as a delegation to provide an update to council about the ongoings at the detachment.

During his presentation, he told council there isn’t a night in the community when you can expect not much is going to happen.

“Down south, Friday and Saturday nights are party nights,” he said. “The kids go party and then, for the rest of the week, it’s usually pretty good. That’s the problem with it up here. Pretty much every night is a Friday night, it seems. There’s just always drinking somewhere. There’s always money out, so there’s always something going on.”

Between April and Sept. 30, there have been 792 cases of mischief and 435 liquor-related offenses. Many of the cases involving mischief also include issues surrounding alcohol and Nicol explained up to 95 per cent of liquor-related offenses are calls along La Ronge Avenue.

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Nicol mentioned there seems to be a growing homeless population in La Ronge, as well. He said most of the ones who were homeless when he arrived 10 years ago are now gone and there’s a new group replacing them. Nicol noted many of them are from the Far North like Wollaston Lake, who travel south for medical appointments and then decide to extend their stay.

“The drinking, as we all know, is probably one of the biggest thorns in our side and creates a lot of our work for us,” he said.

The La Ronge RCMP is currently 11 members short for a variety of reasons such as suspensions, maternity and health leave, as well as regular vacancies. The crime reduction team announced for La Ronge by the province in 2021 is also yet to materialize.

Nicol explained there should be an officer from Pierceland arriving soon for two to three months to help fill in, while more longer-term members should be in La Ronge in the coming months. He said the construction of several new residential suites is nearly completed and those units will make it easier for officers to find housing when placed in La Ronge.

Although lacking officers, Nicol stated they are working hard to protect the community. He said there’s been an emphasis on curfew checks and that drugs and weapons are still being taken off the streets. Over the last five days, Nicol said officers seized six guns, more than 100 grams of cocaine, and $10,000 in cash.

“The one in town here, the guy was… using it as his base and we were able to get a loaded handgun from him, a shotgun and I think he had $7,000 or $8,000 in cash,” Nicol said.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno