A rash of break-ins and thefts in Carberry, Man., has local people “ready to explode,” according to area resident William Dempsey.
His farm has been hit by thieves five times in recent months and he wonders what it will take to make it stop.
Farmers work hard to accumulate their property and don’t take theft lightly, he added.
“In this community, news travels fast. People know what’s going on,” he said.
Dempsey has heard that the local detachment has only four officers on duty, and they are often called away to help out other areas that are shorthanded.
Read Also
Stock dogs show off herding skills at Ag in Motion
Stock dogs draw a crowd at Ag in Motion. Border collies and other herding breeds are well known for the work they do on the farm.
“The police are not in a position to do any investigative work. There’s no time,” he said.
Frustration with the lack of security can quickly boil over.
On June 26, a Carberry resident surprised thieves who were trying to use bolt cutters to steal his quad, and fired a shot in their direction as they left his property.
The would-be thieves escaped, but police laid charges against the property owner for discharging a firearm with intent to injure and unsafe storage of firearms.
Staff sergeant Mike Zens of the Bluehills RCMP detachment said that in recent years, staff shortages have been a problem across the country.
“It’s a matter of having enough bodies to patrol the area that we police,” he said.
The crime dynamic has also changed from years ago, he added. Growing up in rural Saskatchewan, Zens remembers that the threat of crime was never much on people’s minds. He recalled sheds and granaries left unlocked and car keys routinely left in vehicles.
“Over 20 years, I can count on only one or two fingers the number of offences committed to our property. Those times are now changing.”
Farm sites these days are farther apart, and some are left vacant for parts of the year. With fewer eyes and ears around to keep watch, thieves are finding it easier to do their work.
“Every farmer has tools and commodities on their property that are obviously valuable to thieves for resale,” Zens said.
Drug and alcohol addiction is the root of many property crimes, he added, because many people with substance abuse problems resort to theft to feed their habits.
But instead of taking the law into their own hands, rural property owners should record licence plate numbers and any details they can of suspicious activities or vehicles.
“In a lot of cases, that may be the missing piece of the puzzle that we need to solve a rash of break and enters or thefts that may have occurred in that area,” he said.
“We really need community co-operation and support. We rely heavily on them to be our eyes and ears because obviously we can’t be everywhere at the same time.”
