WEYBURN – The Weyburn Police Service responded to 93 calls for service during the period of May 20-26, resulting in a total of 12 charges. Although the weekly call volume was near average, no criminal charges resulted as all 12 charges were laid under the Traffic Safety Act (TSA).
The 12 TSA charges laid during the week consisted mostly of drivers who were exceeding the speed limit, using their cell phone while driving, or failing to stop at a stop sign. Those three infractions made up 10 of the 12 charges; five for speeding, three for using a cell phone while driving, and two for failing to stop at a stop sign.
As the week turned out to be highly traffic-related, the Weyburn Police Service would like to thank residents and motorists who help make our roads safer by reporting impaired and/or erratic drivers. To report an impaired driver, pull over, call 911, and provide details regarding the suspected impaired driver and vehicle such as the location, the direction of travel, vehicle description, driving behavior/action, and driver description if possible.
Staying with a traffic-theme, and considering the city of Weyburn will be expecting a very busy week with the upcoming Oil Show (June 5-6), the Weyburn Police Service will have increased exposure with additional officers on duty during the week.
Part of the increased exposure will include at least one High Visibility Enforcement (HVE) project. HVE projects focus on combatting impaired driving as well as other traffic offences in an effort to improve road safety. HVE projects conducted within the months of April and May resulted in two criminal charges for impaired driving as well as three driving suspensions for 72 hours in relation to alcohol and-or drug testing.
The Weyburn Police Service will also be showing an increased presence toward the end of June as they co-host another major traffic safety initiative on June 26-27. The two-day Selective Traffic Enforcement Project (STEP) is being co-hosted by the Estevan Police Service, and includes officers from other policing agencies within Saskatchewan. The project will focus mostly on one day in the Estevan and surrounding area, and one day in the Weyburn and surrounding area.
Although the past week’s charges were traffic-related, the Weyburn Police also responded to a variety of other calls including alarms, domestic disturbances, suspicious persons or vehicles, mental health concerns, requests to check on an individual’s well-being, harassing communications, and calls relating to animals, parking, or other bylaw concerns.
*Anyone with information regarding one of these matters, or any other matter of a criminal nature, is encouraged to contact the Weyburn Police Service at (306) 848-3250, the local RCMP Detachment at 310-RCMP (7267), or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).