The Gimli RCMP detachment released its first quarterly report for 2025-26 to the municipalities it serves, showing its main focus is on reducing property crime.
The first quarter report covers the period July 1 to Sept. 30 and was released in November on the RM of Gimli’s website.
Detachment commander Sgt. Rob Gray wrote that the detachment’s three priorities for 2025-26 are to increase police visibility, reduce property crime and enhance road safety.
To increase police visibility, the detachment plans to continue its community patrols, either on foot, by snowmobile or water. Members will also patrol bars.
Over the course of the reporting period, detachment members completed 34 community patrols, 15 foot patrols during the Icelandic Festival, 10 bar walk-throughs and nine school patrols.
“Members are actively patrolling our detachment area from Winnipeg Beach Kernstead Road north towards Matheson Island and west including the RM of Armstrong,” wrote Gray.
Detachment members were in attendance at 24 community events including the Gimli Car Show, The Arborg Street Festival, Winnipeg Beach’s Boardwalk Days, Canada Day events and a crash-response exercise at the Gimli Airport.
RCMP patrols in and around the Matheson Island area north of Hecla-Grindstone Provincial Park were also completed when the number of on-duty members and other operational events permitted. During the reporting period, there were calls to Pine Dock and Matheson Island.
The service’s focus on property crime entails a number of initiatives.
First, the detachment is undertaking compliance checks to ensure that people released from custody by the court on specific conditions are abiding by them.
“This quarter, members have completed 52 compliance checks which resulted in four subjects being remanded into custody and one warrant of arrest,” wrote Gray. “With having the local probation officer and the FYRST program [youth and adult crime-prevention program] working conjunctively has been a benefit to all organizations.”
Second, the service is partnering with community groups such as COPP [Citizens on Patrol Program] members, who act as extra eyes and ears in their community to detect suspicious activity, as well as with the Youth Community Committee and the FYRST program.
FYRST continues to support about 20 local youth and six adults in its program.
Third, the detachment is analyzing property crime data to reduce crime to 330 occurrences. The current reporting quarter has 216 occurrences whereas last year (same quarter) had 147 occurrences, or a 16 per cent decrease.
The RM and the town of Gimli had the highest reported property crimes this quarter.
The RM of Gimli had 37 property crimes, the town of Gimli had 34, Winnipeg Beach had 15, the RM of Armstrong had 15, the Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton had 14, Arborg had 7, Matheson Island had 1 and Pine Dock had zero.
In terms of calls for police service, the RM of Gimli and the town of Gimli had the highest volume during this quarter. There were 313 calls from the RM and 249 from the town. Bifrost-Riverton had the next highest number of calls for police service at 128 followed by Winnipeg Beach at 109.
The Gimli detachment’s third priority, road safety, saw “proactive enforcement” through the issuance of 81 traffic offences notices, 17 warnings and 17 Criminal Code traffic violations.
