For all of the ominous Facebook posts, criticism of the police and calls for public surveillance cameras, crime in Flin Flon is actually falling.
Flin Flon RCMP stats show a 16 per cent drop in overall calls for the period of Jan. 1 to Nov. 26, 2013, compared to the same time frame last year.
“A decrease is always a positive in my view,” said Sgt. Shayne Smith, acting detachment commander.
With so many variables at play, Sgt. Smith said it is difficult to put a finger on why RCMP have fielded 553 fewer calls so far this year.
The drop includes a 36 per cent decrease (59 calls) in assault-type offenses and a more modest seven per cent decline (seven calls) in theft offenses.
Less welcome is a 10 per cent rise (five calls) in break-and-enters, though there are still fewer than five reports of this crime per month.
Addressing the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, Sgt. Smith made it clear that his detachment is not resting on its laurels.
He said the RCMP would welcome surveillance cameras, new bylaws and further community collaboration as extra tools in their crime-fighting arsenal.
Asked whether he sees value in cameras for crime hot spots like the 100 Stairs and Duck Pond – a concept being explored by safety advocates – Sgt. Smith said police have already reaped rewards from surveillance elsewhere.
“We had a few mischief calls (over) the summer and the city does have video surveillance (at Pioneer Square), and that did assist us in one of our investigations,” he told the chamber meeting, held at the Friendship Centre Restaurant. “So there’s some obvious benefits there.”
In terms of drunks and panhandlers in the downtown area, Sgt. Smith advocated a cooperative approach that could include new bylaws.
“It might take some discussion with city council in exploring some bylaws that could assist with that, i.e. a loitering or panhandling bylaw,” he said. “Another one I’d like to possibly see (would create a) no-smoking (zone) within so many metres of an entranceway.”
What’s clear, Sgt. Smith said, is that no single agency, business or city council is going to remedy the downtown problems alone.
“And I certainly welcome the opportunity to work with the businesses and mayor and council and other committees within the city,” he told the meeting’s eight attendees.
Since the Mounties can’t be everywhere at once, Sgt. Smith said his detachment is also ready to help re-launch a Citizens on Patrol program.
Once active but long defunct in Flin Flon, COP sees organized volunteers help monitor the community for signs of trouble.
Sgt. Smith said police met with a group of citizens concerned about crime but were unable to identify enough volunteers for COP.
“It’s always good to have an extra set of eyes and ears and certainly within our organization, that’s always a benefit,” he said, adding that anyone interested in COP may contact him.
Sgt. Smith focused much of his verbal presentation on the downtown area, the source of multiple complaints of public drunkenness and aggressive panhandling.
Such concerns have prompted his detachment to develop a three-tiered approach that includes regular foot patrols.
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“I recognize that that’s somewhat of a band-aid solution to some of the issues,” Sgt. Smith said. “Granted, it does afford some level of presence in the downtown. But having recognized that, we could certainly improve upon that.”
Officers also conduct vehicle patrols down Main St. during what they have deemed to be the peak trouble period of 2 p.m. to about 6 p.m.
The final component of the downtown strategy is a zero-tolerance policy for anyone caught breaching court orders such as probation.
Sgt. Smith said this approach has been such a nuisance for some regular downtown offenders that three of them “have just quite frankly gotten tired of us and left town.”
Though the perception is that a large number of transient people are committing crimes downtown, Sgt. Smith believes just five to 10 individuals are largely responsible.
“It’s actually a very small core group of people,” he said.
Of course not all crime is centred in the downtown area. Drugs, for instance, are often viewed as a community-wide worry.
“I think anytime that there’s drugs in any community, we should all be concerned,” Sgt. Smith said. “It is something we’re aware of and we’re working towards addressing – obviously without getting into too many details because it does entail sensitive investigations.”
Sgt. Smith said drug investigations are more complex and difficult to execute than the public may presume.
“Contrary to popular belief, it’s not as simple as someone...calling us and saying, ‘So and so has drugs in their house,’” he said. “The expectation is always there that we can simply walk in, and it takes a lot more than that. We have to have the grounds and the search warrant and recent intel, but it’s something on our radar and we’re looking at it for sure.”
RCMP are also looking to field more calls from the public. Sgt. Smith said residents should never hesitate to call the police with information and concerns.
“That’s a common theme I’ve been hearing, where people don’t want to feel like they’re being a nuisance or bothering us, essentially,” he said. “My direction is that if there’s any issue that someone’s identified, give us a call about it.”
In terms of banning smoking near Main St. store entrances, chamber president Tom Therien said that idea was once discussed by city council.
But Therien, a former mayor and city councillor, said there was “some resistance” since it might simply shift smokers to the back alleys.
Year-to-date crime stats provided by the RCMP include all reported offenses, including those that turned out to be unfounded.
A caller may tell police that he was assaulted, for instance, but when officers investigate they learn that no assault took place.
However, most calls police receive turn out to be authentic.
Flin Flon crime is now certain to decrease for the second consecutive year, having fallen 5.6 per cent in 2012.
In 2011, crime shot up 32 per cent compared to 2010.
Chamber of Commerce President Tom Therien (left) greets Flin Flon RCMP Sgt. Shayne Smith, who spoke candidly about local crime.
PHOTO BY JONATHON NAYLOR
