LOON LAKE - The mayor of Loon Lake said he would like to see more done to help curb the level of crime in Loon Lake that has lately become out of control.
Mayor Brian Hirschfeld told SaskToday he has never seen crime so high in his community.
This summer, the mayor said many youths and minors have been running around in the evenings, breaking people's windows in the community and vandalizing their cars.
He noted a large part of the trouble started around the end of June.
"I've been living here 34 years and I've never seen anything like it in all the years I've been here," Hirschfeld said. "There have been kids running around that are 12, 13, 10 [years old], young offenders, smashing whatever they walk by or they feel like smashing that night, or day. They are blatant. They will stand right in people's yards and throw rocks at their [home] windows, with the people standing there. The owner comes out and tells them to 'Quit that,' and they basically tell them to f-off, and whatever."
Hirschfeld said these youth have no regard for the law.
"There are no repercussions for their actions," he added. "They get picked up. They get hauled home, and their parents aren't home, or they are drunk or on drugs."
Hirschfeld said the kids end up maybe going to social services for a day or two until their parents are ready to get them, and they go home, and are "at it again three days later doing the same thing."
Most of the incidents happen in the evenings, whether that be at midnight, at 2 a.m. or even 4 a.m.
"My neighbour across the street, who is 75 years old, has been hit six times," Hirschfeld said. "His front window [was hit] a couple times. His back window. And last night, it was his SUV. They smashed his back window, and the side window out, at 5 or 5:30 in the morning."
He said usually the vandals use rocks, but on the recent occasion it appears they used a baseball bat.
The mayor noted the town is also dealing with criminals who commit thefts. Some broke into the town shop twice.
"We probably lost about $5,000 worth of tools and equipment," he said. "Another guy got broken into and they hauled a truck-load of stuff out."
Hirschfeld said he can't count the high number of vehicles and houses that have been broken into.
"It's tens of thousands of dollars [worth] now," the mayor said.
He added the RCMP have had a staff shortage, which has been increasing the challenges of the situation.
Hirschfeld would like to see Loon Lake receive help from the Saskatchewan Marshals Service proposed for the province.
"I'm holding my breath that may happen," he said. "We really want an office of the Marshals posted in our community to help out the local RCMP."
Hirschfeld also wants to see more done so young offenders are held more accountable for their actions.
"There needs to be a punishment for the crime," he said. "That is not happening. I don't care how old they are. If my kid was 12 years old breaking windows around town, I would know about it and my kid would pay the price for that - for me and for all the people in town. But there are no repercussions from these kids."
Hirschfeld noted the young kids doing the crime are from ages 10 to 15, and the thieves are older - around ages 18 to 25.
"We have gangs, drugs, you name it - we have it all," he said. "It's just like every other place, but it is just a small town, and an older [population] community. The people are scared now. They don't even want to go outside at night. My grandkids cannot walk from school to my house. If they need to come here, I have to go pick them up."
Hirschfeld said his grandchildren are fearful some of the young vandals will throw rocks at them when they are walking down the street.
"We are scared to let them walk, and I live half a block from the school," he said. "My grandkids are eight and six [years old]. I'm not letting them walk down the street when that is going on."
Hirschfeld added that many people are selling their cabins by the lake and moving away because of all the vandalism and thefts.
He noted the last four years have been especially bad.
The Village of Loon Lake is trying to work with the police to see what more can be done to deal with the issue.
To try to tackle the crime, the Village has recently passed a curfew bylaw so kids ages 15 and younger can be picked up if they are caught running around at night.
The Village is also working with the RCMP trying to bring back the Citizens on Patrol Program.
"There's a few guys that have stood up already [to take part]," Hirschfeld said.
But he emphasized, what the Village doesn't want to see is any vigilantism by residents who are victims of crime.
"We don't want to go there," Hirschfeld stressed.
He said the Village is looking to see what more it can do to try to reduce the thefts and vandalism that is plaguing the community.
