NIPAWIN — Over the month of January, the Nipawin RCMP investigated five incidents of vehicles being rummaged through and valuables stolen from either unlocked vehicles or valuables left out in plain sight.
Sgt. Terry Posnikoff delivered his report on January’s numbers, which included 25 break and enters or thefts, to Nipawin council at their Feb. 28 meeting.
Posnikoff continues to remind the public to lock their vehicles when not in use and to also lock outdoor buildings such as garden sheds and garages to prevent easy access for criminals.
Over the month, the Nipawin RCMP also responded to a total of 303 new calls for service. This includes:
- two sexual related offences;
- five possession or trafficking of drugs;
- nine assaults;
- five harassment or uttering threats;
- 57 under the Traffic Safety Act;
- three impaired driving;
- 14 motor vehicle collisions;
- 29 mischief or vandalism;
- nine breaches of court orders;
- 18 disturbing or breaching the peace;
- seven frauds;
- and two firearm or weapon investigations.
Seven frauds over January
Posnikoff included a warning in his report that historically, this is the time of the year where fraudsters claiming to represent the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) begin their phone campaigns to mislead people into paying “outstanding funds”.
Typically, the fraudsters also claim that there is a warrant for arrest and threaten RCMP action if the money is not paid.
Caller identification may also be altered so it looks real.
In March 2021, the Nipawin RCMP reported 100 local victims of a new CRA fraud where the scammer applied for relief benefits using the victims’ personal information.
Posnikoff assured that these calls are fraudulent and that the RCMP does not get involved in tax matters. If anyone experiences these types of calls, he asked that they contact the local RCMP at 306-862-6270 or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
Nipawin RCMP continue to encourage the public to report suspicious activity to the local detachment at (306) 862-6270 or to Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
