Shellbrook-area break-ins prompt reeves to seek provincial action

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Strube started an online group to connect nearby reeves and give people a place to share information about break-ins and suspicious vehicles. She said the group also reminds residents to report incidents to the RCMP.

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Some residents have installed gates and cameras and have still been targeted, Strube said.

“They’ve done everything that they can do, and they’re still getting hit. If you can imagine being that person being hit and you love your home and you want to feel safe in your home and you don’t get to sleep at night because tonight might be the night again,” she said.

Break-ins are also a concern in the Prince Albert rural RCMP detachment area, where reported break-ins and thefts rose from August through October compared with the same period last year, even as overall property crime fell 10 per cent in the first 10 months of the year.

How quickly police can reach rural properties is another concern for Strube, who said a half-hour response would be a best-case scenario in her view.

The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities is calling for a rural and remote community safety action plan involving the province, Indigenous communities, municipalities and police services. It is also seeking more court capacity and measures to address repeat offending, addiction and organized property crime.

The federal Bail and Sentencing Reform Act took effect July 15. Under the changes, people charged with certain offences, including breaking and entering a home, must show why they should be released on bail.

Strube said she welcomes the Saskatchewan Marshals Service’s role in addressing rural crime and the province’s efforts to expand addiction treatment. She said residents are still worried about what might happen during a break-in.

“I love what the province is doing as far as making more facilities and, you know, trying to staff more facilities to have openings. But there’s a long way to go to solve this and in the meantime, how do we protect ourselves?”

susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com