Duane Hicks
The local OPP is ready if and when the federal government legalizes marijuana.
In response to questions from town council, OPP detachment commander Insp. Steve Shouldice said he expects to see a difference in how police will enforce impaired driving.
“They’re testing devices right now to try to do roadside screening and most of them are found to be ineffective–the latest one being tested tests a person’s saliva,” he said at Monday night’s council meeting.
“But we do have people that are trained as DREs [drug recognition experts] who are called in when it’s suspected someone is under the influence of drugs when they’re driving,” Insp. Shouldice added.
These people have received significant training, not only in Ontario but they have to travel to Phoenix, Ariz., where they go to a correctional facility.
While at the facility, the DREs have to be able to say–100 percent of the time–exactly what type of drug individuals are on and their level of impairment.
“We have one person here that’s currently active as a DRE and also two people that used to be DREs,” noted Insp. Shouldice.
“With the legalization of marijuana, we’re obviously going to have to resurrect that program to counteract inevitable impaired driving by marijuana.”
“Are we ready to legalize marijuana as far as the police forces are concerned, with enforcement and identification of people who are impaired because of it?” asked Coun. Ken Perry.
“Oh yeah. We’re going to adapt and be prepared, for sure,” Insp. Shouldice replied.
Coun. June Caul then asked Insp. Shouldice to estimate the percentage of criminal acts related to excessive alcohol consumption, and whether that number would go up once marijuana is legalized.
“I can tell you there is a correlation between violent crime and the use of alcohol,” he remarked.
“It seems that, whether it’s domestic violence-related, a fight in a bar, or an argument at a party type of thing, there is a definitive correlation between alcohol use and assaults in particular.
“I don’t think there’s a correlation between property crime other than property crime is committed usually to support a habit of some sort, whether it be drugs or alcohol,” he added.
An example of the latter would be when a person’s garage is broken into because someone wants to steal alcohol from their fridge there.
“In general, it’s usually people under the legal drinking age,” said Insp. Shouldice.
But as far as an increase in crime due to marijuana, he said he wasn’t sure how it would impact yet.
“I think it’s well-known that people tend to be more prone to violence when they’re on alcohol versus marijuana, but I’m not an expert on that,” Insp. Shouldice conceded.
Crime stats
Meanwhile, the number of incidents (crime and non-crime) reported in Fort Frances jumped from 5,546 in 2015 to 6,040 last year.
Coun. Perry said the number is “almost alarming,” but Insp. Shouldice said the reason for the increase is that people are more willing to call the police when they have an incident take place.
“It’s also more proactive work on the part of our officers to discover some things that are happening, as well,” he noted.
“So over the span of a year, when we’re dealing with 6,000-plus calls, it is an increase,” Insp. Shouldice said.
“[But] I’m not alarmed by that amount,” he added. “It very well might drop by that amount in 2017.
“But it’s keeping everybody busy.”
There were no murders here in 2016 but there were 141 assaults, down from 142 in 2015.
There also were four robberies (compared to three in 2015) and one count of arson, just like the year before.
The number of sexual assaults and related offences rose from 15 in 2015 to 25 in 2016 while the number of criminal harassments spiked from three in 2015 to 18 in 2016.
There also were 43 incidents of threatening in 2016, compared to 20 the year before.
A total of 47 break-and-enters were recorded in 2016, compared to 39 in 2015.
There were three counts of theft over $5,000, compared to two in 2015. Meanwhile, the combined number of incidents of theft under $5,000, shoplifting, and theft from motor vehicles jumped from 80 in 2015 to 151 in 2016.
But the number of mischiefs was down from 131 in 2015 to 90 last year.
On the bright side, the clearance rates here remain far above both provincial and national averages.
In 2016, there was a 37.42 percent clearance rate for property crimes and a 90.32 percent clearance rate for violent crimes.
The provincial average is 25.38 and 71.86, respectively, while the national average is 23.33 percent and 71.61 percent, respectively.
There also were more motor vehicle collisions here in 2016.
A total of 241 collisions resulted in damage, compared to 180 in 2015, while the number of collisions causing injury rose from 10 to 15.
And a total of 32 impaired drivers were nabbed in 2016 compared in 24 in 2015.
There were no fatal collisions here in 2016, down from one in 2015.
