听 听 听 听 听 听 In spite of ongoing staffing challenges, RCMP Staff Sgt. Darren Simons says the Carlyle detachment met what he calls 鈥渙ur obligation to our communities鈥� this year.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淥ur establishment is 13 members and five traffic officers, however we are short on both, and three administration staff,鈥� says Simons. 鈥淲e also have Victims Services volunteers within our building.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淗ere at our detachment, we have general duty members and traffic members,鈥� he adds. 鈥淢any of our members have other specialized training, too. One of our members instructs police officers in breath testing and we also have a negotiator stationed here, to name just two.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淎nd I had 10 years with the RCMP riot troop,鈥� he smiles.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淲e've sent our members to other detachments when their expertise is requested,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd during 2017, members from the Forensic Identification Unit, the ICE (Internet Child Exploitation) team, the Major Crimes Unit, the police dog services and the Combined Intelligence Unit - have all worked in our detachment area.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淪ometimes it's a challenge to loan our members to another detachment,鈥� explains Simons. 鈥淏ut it's worth it, because our members gain a lot more specialized knowledge and experience, which they can use here for the benefit of people in our area. And collectively, our members have a lot more knowledge and experience than you might expect.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淥ur community outreach is also a priority,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd a big part of that is visits to schools within the detachment area. We're more than willing to send our members to schools to talk to students of all ages. We talk about everything from safety to substance abuse and we're there to dispel inaccurate perceptions that young people might have about the police.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淎nd the RCMP is recruiting, so if anyone is interested in 'a career like no other', please check out and also, get in touch with me here at the detachment if they have any questions about becoming a member and the recruitment process.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淲e're currently dealing with staffing shortages within the RCMP, but we're actively working with other detachments to ensure we carry out our commitment to protect the public,鈥� says Simons. 鈥淎nd whether we're sending our members to assist other detachments or whether we're calling on those detachments to help us out, we'll lend, borrow or steal staff to ensure we do our jobs to the best of our abilities.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 With rapidly evolving technology comes new ways of committing crime, according to Simons.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淭his year, fraud continues to be a trend as far as crime,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e continue to receive reports of attempted fraud using the internet, phone and even the mail.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淭he perpetrators of these crimes are generally always growing in sophistication,鈥� says Simons. 鈥淲e've seen everything from them pretending to be a charity to trying to fool someone into believing they've received an inheritance to winning the lottery. They can be very convincing, but we continue to urge people not to give out any of their personal information - especially their Social Insurance Number or any of their banking information.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淎nd these frauds not only affect individuals, but they also have a negative effect on our entire country,鈥� he says. 鈥淓ven if they're viewed as only a nuisance, money obtained by these people often goes overseas - so it's not spent here in Canada, nor is it taxed here in Canada.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淪o it's affecting us as a nation and it's costing us a lot.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 As a veteran RCMP member, Simons says that low-tech crime is a problem police will probably always deal with - and he asks the public for their help in preventing what he calls 鈥渙pportunistic offences.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淥ne of our most common traffic concerns is high-tech in nature, but has a low-tech solution,鈥� he smiles. 鈥淎nd that is: Please put your cell phone away when you're driving.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 'It's becoming more and more dangerous,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd the solution is as simple as pulling over when it's safe to do so if you must answer that text or call or as high-tech as using Bluetooth.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚n addition, thefts continue to occur and many are reported, but I suspect a lot of them are not,鈥� says Simons. 鈥淔or example, if change is stolen from an unlocked vehicle - but even if it's only a handful of loonies and toonies that is stolen, even a few small thefts can quickly add up to enough money to make a drug purchase.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淎nd some people just steal for the sake of stealing,鈥� he adds. 鈥淲e've found stuff in the ditch that someone has just taken from an easy target and tossed away.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淲e request that members of our detachment communities work with us by not leaving keys in vehicles and by securing their property and possessions,鈥� says the Simons. 鈥淧lease lock your vehicles, your homes, your garages and your sheds. And remember, break and enters don't always take place at night. They often in broad daylight when people are away at work.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Simons says that by working together, RCMP and community members can potentially reduce the incidence in crime and that means a happier new year for everyone.
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