Taber Municipal Police Commission briefs Feb. 15

Posted on March 9, 2023 by Taber Times

By Trevor Busch

Taber Times

editor@tabertimes.com

The following are selected briefs of the Feb. 15 meeting of the Taber Municipal Police Commission. Comm. Dan Remfert was absent.

Jan. 18 Closed Session

The commission moved in camera to discuss several items, including Chief of Police Closed Session Report; Police Investigation Update – Closed; Labour Discussion – Closed and Commission Action Plan Listing.

No resolutions were passed by the commission upon returning to open session.

TPS Newcomers Program

Sgt. Tim Johnson provided an overview of a newcomer’s program, Police Relationships with the Newcomer Community, which detailed some of the successes, problems, issues and concerns the service is addressing in regard to its relationship with the newcomer community.

Chief Graham Abela’s January 2023 Report

Community Involvement: Taber Police Service members played in a band for the Titans Charity event that was held at the Community Centre; Taber Police will be hosting the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services Crime Prevention Awards March 31 in Taber. The location has been confirmed as the Parallel Church. Official invites will come shortly.

Training: Cst. Brevik and Sgt. Johnson attended Alberta Family Violence training in Medicine Hat.  

Equipment: One of our police trucks was backed into along 50 Avenue near 53 Street. Collision was investigated and no fault to the officer. Incident report and insurance claim made – $8000 damage estimate, vehicle is getting fixed. 

Operational: We continue to serve the MD of Taber in the capacity of Regional Community Standards officers… things have gone very well, we are responding to complaints and proactively engaging in matters within scope of the agreement; The Village of Barnwell has asked for CSO work on a contractual basis within their community. Applications have been made with the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services.

Personnel: We are in the final stages of hiring for the position of RCSO. Training starts April 1 with the College and Lethbridge Police. 

Siaya County (Kenya) Chief of Police Visit

The commission voted unanimously to allocate up to $2,000 for professional development expenses for a visit by Chief Abela to Siaya County in Kenya in 2023. In correspondence received by the Town, the county had requested an opportunity to explore community policing models, consult on policing practices, and exchange experiences.

In a follow up motion, the commission voted unanimously to provide correspondence back to Siaya County regarding confirmation of Abela’s visit at a later date to be determined.

AAPG Conference 2023

The Alberta Association of Police Governance will be hosting the AAPG 2023 conference in Rocky Mountain House on June 2-3.

January Statistics

The numbers in brackets represent the year-to-date figures for January 2022 for comparative purposes.

Traffic: impaired operation 1 (1); dangerous operation of a motor vehicle 0 (0); traffic collisions 7 (7); provincial traffic offences 151 (111). Liquor Act: 3 (2). Other Criminal Code: 7 (7); offensive weapons 1 (0); corruption/public mischief 1 (0). Drug Enforcement: trafficking 0 (3); possession 0 (1); other 1 (0). Crimes Against a Person: sexual offences 1 (0); robbery/extortion/harassment/threats 1 (4); assaults 1 (4). Crimes Against Property: theft under $5,000 7 (3); theft over $5,000 0 (2); fraud 2 (3); break and enter 1 (3); mischief 5 (7). Bylaw: traffic 2 (1); non-traffic calls 34 (16).