Listen, I know most of you drive exactly like me.
You’re cautious and careful but sometimes your speed can float above the limit. It’s this tendency to have a heavy foot that makes you take your foot off the gas and look in your rear-view mirror every time you meet a police car. If this sounds like you then you probably also rely on police leniency and discretion when it comes to the speed you drive.
If the speed limit is 100 kilometres per hour, you drive 110 km/hr as you feel that speed is acceptable to not be given a ticket. However, someone always has to test the limits. I want to relay a message to all my readers.
If a police car is travelling the speed limit, do not pass! If you do this, you are basically writing your own ticket. We have a responsibility to the public to enforce the law. If we allow you to speed past a marked police car and we do nothing, we basically tell all the other vehicles on the road that it’s OK to speed.
The RCMP issued 25 traffic tickets in the Carlyle detachment area from Dec. 4-10. The popular ticket of the week seemed to be issued to people using their cellphone while driving. I want to share some knowledge about this fine. If you are driving you are not allowed to touch your phone for any reason. If you need to use your phone, please pull over.
This doesn’t mean it’s okay to hold your phone to use navigation for directions, or to even just decline a phone call. Plain and simple, if your car is in motion, you can’t touch your phone while driving.
Some calls we receive in the RCMP really make us shake our heads. On Dec. 6, we received a call from an angry female who was mad because her brother and his girlfriend had stolen her illegal drugs while she was sleeping. What world do we live in where drug users call the RCMP to complain about their drugs being stolen? Who are we suppose to charge? The thief? The caller who confessed to being in possession of illegal drugs?
On Dec. 7, Carlyle RCMP received a call of a male who had left his house on foot while drinking. The caller was concerned because the male was not dressed for the cold weather. RCMP made patrols until the male actaully returned back to his residence. I would like to thank this caller for being a good human by being concerned for their friend. Far too many people die each year in this country from freezing outside. Please continue to look out for one another.
On Dec. 7, Carlyle RCMP received a report of a fraud. The fraudster claimed to have a hot tub for sale on Facebook Marketplace. The hot tub was suppose to be located in Montmartre. The caller sent the fraudster a $400 deposit but when they arrived to pick the hot tub up, the fraudster did not live at the provided address and cut all contact with the caller.
On Dec. 9, Carlyle RCMP along with RCMP Crime Prevention made two presentations at Arcola School. The first presentation to the Grade 9s was on addictions. The second presenation was for Grade 7 and 8 students about interpersonal and dating violence.
The presentations were very well preceived and all the kids had excellent questions. It’s so nice to be able to give presentations in the schools again. We’ve really missed it.
On Dec. 12, Carlyle RCMP received a report of a collision between a 2013 GMC 1500 truck and a whitetail deer. Nobody was injured in this collision. Kudos to the driver as he pulled the deer off the road himself to ensure that no other vehicles accidently collided with the deer.
On Dec. 8, RCMP received a report of stolen hay bales along Highway 13 near Manor. Upon further investigation, it was determined that the bales had actually been authorized by the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure to be moved due to them being a road hazard.
The owner of the bales was updated and advised to contact the Ministry of Highways. Although these bales were not stolen, there have been reports of bales being stolen in the area. I want to remind everyone to please keep their eyes open for suspicious movement around bales their neighbours and friends.
On Dec. 13, RCMP responded to a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Highway 13 and the 601 Grid. The collision took place when a vehicle pulled out from the 601 Grid without yielding to oncoming traffic. Luckily nobody was hurt in this collision. Big thanks to Redvers Fire Department as they had the entire scene cleaned up and traffic control in place very quickly and efficiently.
Also on Dec. 13, RCMP were called to an intoxicated person dressed in a white suit like Elvis Presley in Carlyle. RCMP arrested the male for being intoxicated in public and he did the jailhouse rock at Carlyle RCMP until he was sober. The male was later released with no charges.
That same day, RCMP were called to a suspicious vehicle stuck in the ditch near Carlyle. RCMP located a GMC pickup truck and determined the driver of the truck was impaired by alcohol. The male was arrested and provided samples of his breath which confirmed his impairment. The driver received one free night in Carlyle RCMP’s famous bed a breakfast before being released for a court date in the future.
Carlyle RCMP responded to several mental health calls this week. The mental health calls varied from people with dementia, people suffering from drug and alcohol psychosis, to people suffering from depression. We want to encourage everyone to reach out for help and talk to someone if they can. No matter how bad things may seem, remember that they will always get better. Life can be very difficult to say the least.
Please reach out and check in with friends, co-workers, and family see how they are doing. It’s a perfectly normal question to ask people how they are doing. Don’t let people suffer in silence. If you see someone that you believe needs some help but won’t accept help from you, please let the police or their family know. Help is also available 24 hours a day at Canada’s Suicide Prevention Service at 1-833-456-4566.
Scam of the week:
Romance scams seem to have been around forever. A scammer convinces you to enter a virtual, online relationship so the scammer can gain your trust and affection. Often these scammers will fake being an extremely desirable person with looks and or money but are going through a bad situation with a break up or with the law. This can occur through email messages or fake profiles on social media and dating websites.
Finally the scammer asks for money for travel, a medical emergency or family assistance. They might also ask you to receive money for them. By doing so, you might be unknowingly committing a crime by receiving fraudulent money from another victim of fraud.
