The City of Dauphin held a regular council meeting this evening at City Hall and it was led by Mayor Christian Laughland.
Dauphin RCMP Staff Sargeant Ray Campbell spoke at the meeting. He gave an update on crime in the city. Campbell said that policing the events that took place during the Canada Day long weekend was very manageable. Then he went on to say that the RCMP was the busiest on Canada Day at the fairgrounds.
"We had traffic control brought in from outside the area that assisted with road checks and traffic enforcement for community safety, but all in all, from a police standpoint... it was controllable," he added.
In addition, S/Sgt. Ray Campbell highlighted that from April 1st to June 30th — compared to the same timeframe last year — the RCMP's statistics have really increased. According to him, property crimes and crimes against people have gone up. He pointed to COVID-19 measures being rescinded as a reason why, but also acknowledged the warmer weather playing a role by leading people to be more out and about. Drug-related files have decreased since last year. However, since Countryfest, he noticed an influx of drugs into the community. Furthermore, Ray Campbell also said that Dauphin RCMP's mental health acts have dropped significantly.
The complete discussion with S/Sgt. Campbell can be watched here.