ESTEVAN — While the Estevan Police Service has seen a decrease in overall crime numbers and calls for service this year, it still has seen jumps in some categories, including bicycle thefts.
Speaking during the Estevan board of police commissioners meeting Sept. 16, Police Chief Jamie Blunden expressed concern with the number of bikes stolen and a few other crimes.
According to information from the Estevan Police Service provided to SaskToday, the police handled 44 bicycle thefts in the first eight months of this year, with 11 of those incidents occurring in August. Some have been located and returned, or were found abandoned.
Inspector Tyler McMillen said EPS members are looking at decoy bicycles that would have GPS.
“It’ll work in tandem with the bike patrol unit,” said McMillen. “One of our constables is out, he’s put in over 300 kilometres on the bike this year trying to curb that sort of stuff.”
Stolen bicycles are categorized as thefts under $5,000. So is shoplifting, and Blunden said the EPS has been working with retailers and encouraging them to keep an eye on things and clamp down on the problem.
Thefts of motor vehicles stood at 21 for the first eight months of the year. A lot of them would involve taking an automobile without the owner’s consent, which Blunden said is “a little bit minor in nature” but is still deemed to be a vehicle theft.
According to numbers released at the meeting, the EPS had 598 calls for service last month, down from the 632 in August 2024. The EPS has had 4,706 calls so far this year, down 5.7 per cent from 4,992 for the first eight months of 2024.
Seventeen crimes against the person were reported in August, down from 20 for the same month last year. Fourteen of the crimes against the person were assaults. The others were sexual crimes.
So far this year, the EPS has had 112 such calls, with 87 assaults, 13 sexual crimes, 11 assaults causing bodily harm and one murder. There were 127 such crimes through Aug. 31, 2024.
Forty-eight crimes against property were committed last month, led by 27 thefts under $5,000 and 18 wilful damage/mischief complaints. The EPS had one theft of a motor vehicle, and one each for business and residential break and enters.
In the first eight months of the year, the EPS had 285 crimes against property, led by 152 thefts under $5,000 and 87 mischief/wilful damage complaints. Other infractions included the 21 thefts of a motor vehicle, four thefts over $5,000, two arsons, and 16 residential and three business break and enters. In the first eight months of 2024, the EPS had 306 crimes against property.
Five Controlled Drugs and Substances Act incidents occurred in August, with three for trafficking and two for possession. Last year there were two in August. So far this year, there have been 12 instances of trafficking and seven for possession, for a total of 19. The EPS handled 21 in the first eight months of 2024.
The EPS had 10 Criminal Code traffic violations, with eight for impaired/exceed-related offences and two for dangerous driving and other. Last year there were 12. As of Aug. 31, 2024, the EPS had 62 total violations, with 41 for impaired/exceed-related charges, 13 for impairment by drug and eight dangerous drive and other. In 2024, the EPS had 87 Criminal Code traffic violations in the first eight months.
The five-year averages were 107 crimes against the person, 251 crimes against property, 82 Criminal Code traffic violations and 24 CDSA incidents.
“We’re really good year to date, and I’m happy to see where we’re at,” said Blunden.
Financial statement showed expenses were at 59.5 per cent for the year, Blunden said, when they should be at 66.7 per cent at the end of August. Revenues are behind projections, sitting at 34 per cent.
Blunden said it’s due to grant payments from the province, which will likely be paid early in 2026. Revenues were at $494,000 as of Aug. 31.
“They have a [fiscal] year that goes from April 1 to March 31, and so a lot of the funding that we get from the province doesn’t come until the beginning of the year. It’s their fourth quarter; it’s our first quarter for the new year. And then we backdate that once we get the revenue,” said Blunden.
