Prince Albert police planning to combat crime trends, 18 homicides with 20 victims in 2 years
Global News
The Prince Albert Police Service has taken a lot of steps to combat crime including violent crimes and murders. Over the last two years, there have been eighteen homicides.
The Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) has taken a lot of steps to try and combat crime including violent crimes and murders.
PAPS chief Jonathan Bergen said over the last two years there have been 18 homicides involving 20 victims.
When looking at other cities of similar size, such as Moose Jaw, said Bergen there have been significantly fewer homicides over the same timespan.
According to Statistics Canada, Prince Albert has a population of roughly 36,000 and a metro population of 43,000.
Bergen says it’s been challenging for the police service and extremely difficult for the community.
The police service says its focus is on high visibility, proactive policing across the city. Stats ending for December 2021 continue to reflect an increasing number of calls for the service and an upward trend in violence and property crime — although the lowest number of break-and-enters in five years.
“The last couple of years of having been unusually high in offences and victims we have had to respond to,” said Bergen. “That has a great impact on the entire community.”
“In 2021, our police service responded to a tragic nine homicides, each of which left loved ones and friends devastated and shocked in our community. Investigators with the Criminal Investigation Division have laid charges in seven of these homicides and continue to investigate, in addition to (dealing with) suspicious missing person files and other serious incidents of assault,” the police service said in a media release.