The Estevan Police Services (EPS) continues to pay close attention to impaired driving in the community.
Police Chief Paul Ladouceur, speaking at the Sept. 15 meeting of the Estevan board of police commissioners, said they are still seeing an increase in the number of impaired drivers.
Numbers released during the meeting show the EPS handled 19 impaired driving-related charges in August, which was one more than in August 2015. They have had 112 offences related to impaired driving in the first eight months of the year, compared with 97 a year earlier – an increase of 15 per cent.
Ladouceur noted he has been appointed to a provincial committee to look at how to reduce impaired driving in the province. Ladouceur suggested more regulation could be needed.
“We tell people time and time again to act responsible and be responsible and plan ahead, yet right now the mindset in this province, anyhow, is ‘I can go out and drink until 1:30 in the morning, and pick up my case of two-four at two in the morning, right next door to where I’m drinking, and then head out on the road,” said Ladouceur.
He expects a lot of input will be coming in during the next few months.
EPS members had 622 total calls for service in August, which was down 10 from August 2015. So far this year, they have had 5,436 calls, which is an increase of three per cent from the 5,255 they had in the first eight months of 2015.
Police board members also received the August report from bylaw enforcement officer Michelle Pickering. Pickering handled 47 general cleanup calls and 42 unkempt property inspections in August, bringing the totals for the year to 376 and 341, respectively.
She also handled 26 parking violations, set 26 skunk traps and dealt with 21 animal-related calls.
Overall, Pickering had 212 calls for service in August.
Ladouceur noted the number of parking tickets is down from 461 to 341 for the first eight months of 2015, while the number of parking complaints has dropped from 86 to 82. He believes it’s due to the increase in fines for parking violations that came into effect earlier this year.
