PRINCE ALBERT – In a collaborative effort to enhance community safety, multiple police agencies joined forces to arrest people wanted on warrants, and seize illegal firearms and drugs. The operation spanned across the Prince Albert, Ahtahkakoop/Shellbrook, and Waskesiu/Montreal Lake detachment areas.
The units that worked together include Prince Albert, Ahtahkakoop / Shellbrook, and Waskesiu / Montreal Lake RCMP detachments, along with the Prince Albert, North Battleford, La Ronge, and Meadow Lake RCMP Crime Reduction Teams (CRT), the Prince Albert RCMP Warrant Enforcement and Suppression Team (WEST), RCMP Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan, and the Prince Albert RCMP General Investigation Section.
Expressing the importance of community safety, Staff Sergeant Eric Desfosses, a member of the Saskatchewan RCMP’s North District Management Team overseeing the Prince Albert, Ahtahkakoop/Shellbrook, and Waskesiu/Montreal Lake detachments, said, "Community safety is the number one priority of our frontline detachment police officers. They work hard at maintaining it every day. This fall, officers from Prince Albert, Ahthakakoop/Shellbrook, and Waskesiu/Montreal Lake RCMP demonstrated their commitment to community safety as they worked with specialized SERT units to remove wanted people, drugs, and firearms from our streets. Together, we'll continue working to eradicate any risk to the safety of our communities."
Highlighting the need for intelligence-led, borderless enforcement, Staff Sergeant Ryan How, the Saskatchewan Enforcement Response Team (SERT)’s North Manager, emphasized, "Keeping Saskatchewan’s communities safe takes intelligence-led, borderless enforcement. That’s why Saskatchewan RCMP is uniquely able to successfully execute targeted, multi-unit enforcement efforts like we saw in the Prince Albert, Ahtahkakoop, and Montreal Lake areas this fall."
The results of the multi-unit response include the arrests of four people wanted by Prince Albert RCMP.
On Nov. 1, Wesley Naytowhow, who was wanted on a second-degree murder charge in August, was arrested by RCMP Prince Albert and RCMP WEST.
On Oct. 30, Jared Naytowhow was arrested. He was wanted for aggravated assault and robbery with a firearm. Police seized a sawed-off shotgun from the home he was arrested in.
On Oct. 18, Ian Felix was located and arrested on charges of aggravated assault and robbery with a firearm. Eight restricted firearms were seized from the home where he was arrested.
On Sept. 22, Craig McDonald was arrested on charges of aggravated assault and robbery with a firearm.
Drugs and weapons were also seized during the multi-unit response by the combined police agencies.
On Oct. 3, 244 grams of methamphetamine and three firearms were confiscated during a traffic stop on Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation.
On Sept. 26, 28 grams of crack cocaine, three rifles, and a handgun were seized from a home in Holbein.
In September, Sask. RCMP had started this multi-unit response to violent and property crimes in Prince Albert, Ahtahkakoop/Shellbrook and Waskesiu/Montreal Lake detachment areas. This was prompted by what police called a larger-than-usual increase in crime in the Prince Albert detachment area in August.
Saskatchewan RCMP urges the public to report all suspicious activity to police.
"Sometimes you see something you think may be a little off, and you brush it off and don't report it to police," said S/Sgt. How at the launch of the multi-unit response in September.
"We are encouraging you to report everything. You're not wasting our time or resources – you may be holding the piece of information we need to solve a puzzle. Saskatchewan RCMP uses intelligence-led policing. While we have analysts and other public safety professionals gathering that intelligence, the public has an important role to play, too. When you report all crimes and suspicious activity, it helps us determine hot spots and trends, and allows us to deploy our resources effectively."
Information about suspicious persons, crimes, or the location of wanted individuals can be reported to your police of jurisdiction. Dial 310-RCMP to reach your local RCMP detachment.
You can also report to Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or www.saskcrimestoppers.com. It's completely anonymous and you may be eligible for a cash reward.
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