The Altona Police Service (APS) recently released their annual report, noting some of the challenges in 2023 and highlighting their priorities for the coming year.
Chief Dan Defer says community relations was a big priority in 2023.
“This was one of the first years where we really put a focus on it, and we’re hoping to increase on that this year. It is important to us.”
New to the APS was their Coffee Meet and Greet nights. Defer says they held several of these in 2023, and they were such a success that they plan to host more this year.
“We believe in a strong, community-based approach in our policing, and this really helped us make important connections.”
To engage with local schools and organizations, the APS held their first bike rodeos since the pandemic in Altona and Plum Coulee. They also competed in a basketball game against the Altona Panthers Special Olympics team.
Recruitment continues to be a challenge for the department. Last year saw the arrival of Constable Tristan Fournier-Jones, who came to Altona after working for the Manitoba First Nations Police Service in OCN. With the possibility of one or two officers leaving this year, they are presently looking to fill those gaps.
“That process can take awhile. I’m really concentrating on hiring someone who understands Altona, and the challenges of living and working here,” Defer said. “And people who want to stay here and raise their families here.”
Ongoing training and professional development continued in 2023, with succession planning in mind.
“I have a young department and I want to get some of the advanced training in place, in preparation for the future,” the chief said.
In their ongoing effort to support and build strong relationships with surrounding communities, APS opened an office in Plum Coulee and are planning an official grand opening later in spring.
Last year the Department of Justice funded a joint forces operation, which saw the Morden, Winkler and Altona Police Services form a unit to investigate drug trafficking in the region. This operation concluded with numerous persons being charged with drug and firearm charges. One search warrant was executed in Altona, resulting in three Altona residents being charged with drug related offenses.
Last year also saw their continued partnership with MPIC through the Roadwatch Program, whereby MPIC pays the overtime salaries for officers to conduct various road safety initiatives throughout the year, helping to keep pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users safe.
The APS opened a total of 2,039 files in 2023. Of those, 1,378 were opened in the primary RMS system, and 561 were opened in the secondary RMS systems, the majority of these files being Criminal Record Checks.
In terms of last year’s call volume, Defer noted there were small increases in crimes against persons and crimes against property.
“Most of the categories have gone up, but not a level that would concern us. After 40 years of policing, I know there’s always going to be an ebb and flow. Unfortunately, we continue to see drug use and trafficking within the community, so that generally leads to an expected increase in other areas of crime. We tackle these problems, there have been search warrants and charges have been made. Unfortunately, illegal drug use and drug trafficking remains an issue in our region.”
The APS continued its public awareness and education around frauds in 2023, which unfortunately continue to be a common occurrence. The most prevalent was the Grandparent Scam, the Romance Scam, and frauds in which a victim is told they’ve won a sum of money but to claim it must send the scammer processing fees.
“It seems to be the same ones over and over, where they take advantage of people where they are most vulnerable,” said Defer. “They’re touching on human needs. Everybody wants more money. Everybody wants to be loved.
“This will be an ongoing campaign. We’ll continue to do what we can to educate the public on how to avoid falling into these traps.”
Meanwhile, the APS was thrilled to see an increase of about $140,000 to the provincial policing grant last year.
“That’s huge. The costs have all gone up, from salaries to equipment, and the last increase was 2016,” Defer said. “We’ve been able to utilize that increase very well. The new computers are in the office, and we ordered three new laptops for the vehicles. Hopefully this level of support will continue going forward.”
Courtesy of the province’s Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund, the department also acquired an electric bike last year, which will make patrolling during outdoor public events such as the Sunflower Festival a bit easier to navigate.
“I think it’s important, again, for community relations. Now, as opposed to officers driving around in a car, officers are more visible, they’re more accessible.”
Looking ahead, Defer says they are looking forward to serving and connecting with the citizens of Altona and Plum Coulee in 2024.
“Many more events are being planned for this year, where residents and officers can meet and visit in a social setting. We feel it is important for our community to know their officers, as these fine men and women have chosen to serve in this community that they all home.”
