WEYBURN – The Weyburn Police Service received 77 calls for service during the week of Feb. 13 to 19. While the weekly number of calls for service were fairly average, the amount of charges were higher than average due to the nature of the calls. A total of 48 charges resulted from the week including 27 under the Traffic Safety Act (TSA) and 17 under the Criminal Code of Canada. Individuals who failed to comply with a condition of their release, or failed to attend court when required, comprised five of the Criminal Code charges.
On Wednesday evening, WPS officers conducted a High Visibility Enforcement project with a focus on impaired driving. During the traffic project, 192 motorists were checked resulting in one driver having their vehicle impounded for seven days, and eight others receiving a ticket for a traffic violation under the TSA.
During the late evening hours of Wednesday, WPS received a call from an individual stating they needed assistance but hung up without providing pertinent information. Officers were able to locate the address of the caller and attended to find the caller quarrelling with other occupants at the residence. The complainant was found to be breaching multiple conditions of their release and was charged accordingly.
The Weyburn Police Service regularly conducts proactive patrols in and around school zones. In relation to complaints from concerned school officials and parents of the students, officers have increased their presence to monitor traffic for safety concerns, such as drivers disobeying stop signs on the school buses and illegal U-turns in the school zones.
The Weyburn Police Service would like to remind drivers that school buses are equipped with cameras that can record vehicles (and their license plates) that pass by when the stop signs and flashing lights are activated on the bus. These recordings assist police in identifying and charging those that fail to stop for the signals.
If a school bus is stopped with its flashing lights and stop sign activated, drivers approaching the bus from either direction must stop at least five meters from the bus and not proceed until the lights and sign are deactivated. The fine for contravening this law under the TSA is $360.
Other calls for service included harassing communications, uttering threats, well-being checks, disturbances, and reports of suspicious persons or vehicles. Of note, a significant amount of proactive work involving the prevention of theft, school zone safety, traffic safety, and drug trafficking interdiction was made during the week.
*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).
