“Project Pinpoint” sweep leads to 13 arrests

Red Deer RCMP have wrapped up an intensive property crime investigation that resulted in 13 arrests, 33 Criminal Code charges and the execution of 21 warrants.

Between March 29 and April 1, Mounties carried out a targeted operation that focused intensive resources on crime hot spots, prolific property crime offenders, outstanding warrants and stolen vehicles.

For those four days and nights, teams from the Community Response Unit, Traffic and general duty watches conducted surveillance, conditions checks and intensive patrols at hot spots in industrial areas and addresses known to police as being linked to criminality.

The campaign wrapped up with four high-visibility checkstops at key locations throughout the city.

RCMP were looking for stolen vehicles and license plates, vehicles attempting to avoid police checkstops, offenders wanted on outstanding warrants and those not complying with court-imposed conditions.

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The concentrated series of efforts was supported by the Alberta RCMP helicopter.

“Campaigns like this are just one part of Red Deer RCMP’s daily approach, which is to reduce property crime and apply constant pressure to those individuals who are responsible for most of that crime,” says Inspector Gerald Grobmeier of the Red Deer RCMP.

“We’re in the hot spots and we’re conducting conditions checks on prolific offenders every day, and our message is clear: if you continue to break the law, we’re sending you back to jail. We would, however, prefer to work with these individuals and help them address the root causes for their crimes and keep them out of the justice system.”

This targeted policing is part of the Red Deer RCMP crime reduction strategy, Project Pinpoint. Since the inception of Project Pinpoint, police say break and enters have decreased when compared to the same time frame the year before.

Between March 17 and April 4, 2017, there were 75 break and enters, compared to 103 during the same time period in 2016. B&Es into homes and businesses numbered 99 between February 27 and March 16.

“Parallel to our targeted focus on property crime, RCMP have also seen an increase in public reporting of suspicious or criminal activity, and that’s helping police tremendously,” says Grobmeier. “We can’t be everywhere, but when citizens report a suspicious or stolen vehicle, RCMP are responding, and we’re making a lot of arrests as a result of those reports.”

(Gary McKinnon)