ESTEVAN - The new-look Estevan board of police commissioners gathered Dec. 18 for its first meeting since late October.
It was the first session since the Nov.13 civic election, and it started with the swearing in of the members from city council who are part of the board. Mayor Tony Sernick, who had been on the board as a councillor since January 2023, and Councillors Kirsten Walliser and Tom Mauss took the oath of office. Recording secretary Josh Shitta-Bey was also sworn in.
As mayor, Sernick is an automatic member of the board and its chairman. Walliser and Mauss are to be on the board for the next two years. They join members at large Roberta DeRosier and Jacie Vandermeulen, who each have one year remaining on their respective terms.
The board promptly reviewed the monthly crime statistics for October and November. The EPS responded to 6,850 calls for service in the first 11 months of the year, down 8.1 per cent from the 7,452 they had for the same period in 2023.
The EPS had 694 occurrences in October, virtually the same as the 697 they had a year earlier. There were 14 crimes against the person for the month, including 12 assaults, one sexual crime and one assault causing bodily harm. The EPS handled 15 crimes against the person in October of 2023. Thirty-eight crimes against property were reported, with 17 thefts under $5,000, 16 mischief/willful damage complaints and five residential break and enters. Forty-six such crimes occurred in the same month in 2023.
The EPS had two incidents of drug trafficking under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, versus one the previous year; and 21 Criminal Code traffic violations, versus 14 the previous year. The October traffic violation charges included 11 for impaired/exceed-related offences, four for impairment by drug and six for dangerous driving and other.
As for November's numbers, the EPS had seven crimes against the person, with two sexual crimes and five assault, while there were 14 crimes against the person from November 2023. Crimes against property remained stable at 26, with one arson, four residential break and enters, two thefts of a motor vehicle, 11 thefts under $5,000 and eight mischief/willful damage complaints last month.
The EPS had 10 Criminal Code traffic violations, with seven impaired/exceed-related offences, two for impairment by drug and one for dangerous driving and other. Eleven infractions were dealt with in October 2023.
There were no charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
For the first 11 months of the year, the EPS responded to 157 crimes against the person, up 12 from the 145 in the same period a year earlier. There were 107 assaults, 38 sexual crimes, 11 assaults causing bodily harm, three robberies and one attempted murder.
The EPS has handled 408 crimes against property, up 11 per cent from 366 the previous year. The bulk of the calls has been 201 thefts under $5,000 and 124 mischief/willful damage incidents. The EPS has had 34 residential break and enters, 25 thefts of a motor vehicle, six business break and enters, five thefts over $5,000 and one arson.
There have been 24 infractions under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, with 14 for trafficking and 10 for possession. Last year there were 32 for the first 11 months of the year.
Finally, the EPS has had 123 Criminal Code traffic violations, with 80 for impaired or exceed-related offences, 23 for impairment by drug and 20 for dangerous driving and other. There were 144 violations through Nov. 30, 2023.
The five-year average is 6,812 calls for service, with 126 crimes against the person, 313 crimes against property, 109 Criminal Code Traffic Violations and 30 CDSA incidents.
