WESTLOCK — Citations and unsightly property complaints were up in the Village of Clyde in 2022.
Westlock County peace officers Sgt. Darcy DeVos and officer Taylor Whiting attended the village council meeting Dec. 12 and provided an overview on operations and some updated statistics.
DeVos noted they respond to over 400 investigative files in a year as well as issue about 275 traffic violation tickets and manage 600 calls in combination with traffic and bylaw. County peace officers also provide about 1,600 to 2,000 hours of patrol services throughout the area, including 15 hours per month for the Village of Clyde. This year there’s been an uptake in unsightly property in the county with up to about 80 files. Over the past year Westlock County peace officers issue 39 citations in 2021 in the village with several of those warnings. Numbers are slightly up in 2022 at 46.
“We’re always about educating and letting people know and giving them that chance because life happens and things change,” said DeVos. “We do concentrate heavily on the school and that’s important to us because that’s where we’re catching a lot of people speeding.”
He noted county peace officers provide bylaw services and support to over 7,100 people in Westlock County with duties divided into three core areas; regulatory, enforcement and community.
“Under regulatory we do unsightly properties, weed control, assist with planning and developing and snow-covered sidewalks,” explained DeVos, noting enforcement often deals with traffic enforcement and control, and such things as assisting RCMP and fire department, and addressing alcohol and cannabis concerns. Community often involves peace officers attending special events, positive youth development, working with community groups and joint collaborations with outside agencies, noted DeVos.
Some of the department’s successes include improving communication with the RCMP, he said, particularly situations that may involve a criminal matter and while most fall under RCMP (federal) jurisdiction, county peace officers do deal with criminal warrants and can play a role in that capacity. They are also hoping to have a greater presence on the streets and help deter criminal activity.
“I think those two functions definitely help assist with the criminality that does go on in the region. We can be much more effective because we need to be more visual and more out there on the road,” he said, noting a crime suppression grant they applied for and are awaiting approval early in the new year. “Should we obtain that, that’s going to help us — we are looking at getting a new bylaw officer as well so that’s going to help alleviate some of that stress on us so we can get out there and apply those other statues that we enforce and also help the RCMP.”
DeVos noted that Whiting has taken over patrolling the village and highlighted the need for cooperation from members of the public, who are often the eyes and ears on the ground assisting them.
“We do need community involvement so that’s why we look at other programs too that hopefully will be positive and bring us closer to the community,” said DeVos.
