Wednesday, September 20, 2023 Vol. 46, No. 38
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RCMP hears concerns from community at meeting
PATRICIA HARCOURT PHOTOS
Attending the RCMP town hall meeting at the Viking Carena Complex on Wednesday, Sept. 13, were, from left: Detachment Commander Cpl. Ryan Doucette, Cst. Jason Wall and Cpl. Jeremy Houle. Patricia Harcourt Editor
Viking RCMP officers met with the community Wednesday, September 13, at a town hall meeting in the Viking Carena Complex. Cpl. Jeremy Houle introduced Cpl. Travis Doucette, who was returning to Viking as detachment commander. Houle began by discussing the latest RCMP statistics, which he said were quite consistent overall. However, he noted there were spikes in the theft and fraud categories. Any spikes tend to get the attention of the police, and are based on what is reported by the public and investigated by the RCMP.
Investigations under the Mental Health Act have also increased, he said, attributing this to the effects COVID-19 in the last few years, as people have lived with more isolation and increased levels of stress. Traffic issues have town council pressing the police to enforcing the rules of the road. Also cited was the need to stop people from driving golf carts for improper purposes. Presentations were also made on fraud and property crimes prevention. Viking town councillor Clint Nearing asked if the police could issue more tickets for infractions such as driving across solid lines to park on the other side of the street, as often happens at the post office. A woman also said the
police need to enforce the rule of stopping at stop signs. She was told that the police could enforce this more around the schools; however, the woman responded that there was a lack of enforcement about this on main street. She received a reply that main street has a stop sign on every block. A resident asked how many officers work at the detachment currently. With Cpl. Doucette in command this makes four officers in total. It was pointed out as well, that three of the four live in town and the fourth lives in nearby Killam and commutes. Another resident said that “the RCMP have diminished,” stating he was told that the police ‘didn’t have
time’ to enforce issues with heavy truck traffic. Doucette replied that he lives in Viking and has joined several local organizations, including the Ag Society. And two other officers now live in Viking as well. This means that the officers can now spend time talking to people in Viking, or having coffee with them, he said. “Is there potential for us to be more visible? Absolutely,” he said. But COVID-19 made it difficult for officers to be able to use all the tools they normally would have available, especially younger members. “So it’s a work in progress,” he said, adding he spent nine years in traffic Continued on Page 9