Police calls down around the bay

But officers still kept busy, including with TC Square ‘dust up’

By Mark Squibb/April 14, 2022

Police say calls for service to both the Harbour Grace and Bay Roberts RCMP detachments are down from last year.

At the most recent Conception Bay North Joint Council meeting, Sgt. Kenny Maher and Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey gave detachment updates for both detachments.

Year to date in Bay Roberts there have been 591 calls for service, a drop from 757 calls for the same period last year.

In February and March, police in Bay Roberts received 422 calls, 62 of crimes against persons, seven impaired driving cases – two of which resulted in charges against two drivers, 22 mental health related calls, 20 collisions – two of which had injuries, and one which involved a fatality. Police received 11 complaints involving offroad vehicles and a serious crash that occurred in Shearstown.

On February 8, police responded to an armed man who had barricaded himself inside his home in Makinsons. Police deployed an emergency response team, crisis negotiators, police dogs, and a tactical armoured vehicle to the scene, and after a lengthy standoff, the man was taken into custody without incident and given medical help. On February 18 in South River, officers responded to an armed robbery at the Knights of Columbous bar. The suspect was arrested and charged later that day. On March 7, officers responded to an aggravated assault on a vessel docked along Water Street Bay Roberts. An altercation among the crew escalated quickly, resulting in one member sustaining significant injuries. On March 9, officers received a complaint of a dirt bike on Shearstown Road. The rider, a young person, fled from police, but was later charged and had their bike seized. Police also responded to a theft of a pickup truck stolen from a parking lot at the carpool parking lot on L.T. Stick Drive. That vehicle has since been recovered, and O’Donaghey said that a public response to a media release assisted in the recovery.

In Harbour Grace, police have received 727 calls for service so far this year. That’s a decrease from 935 calls over the same time period in 2021. Of the 484 calls received in February and March, there were 58 crimes against persons, 11 impaired driving cases, 12 mental health calls, and 39 collisions, nine of which resulted in injuries.

Sgt. Maher also noted an ATV collision in Bristol Hope, in which the 17-year old driver was arrested and charged with impairment and his ATV was seized. Police responded to another ATV crash in March that involved impairment, with the individual being charged and the ATV seized.

“Something else you’ve likely seen in the news were the two females who caused a dust up down at the Trinity Square Mall in Carbonear,” said Maher. “Both of those individuals were arrested at the scene, one of whom is still in jail and can’t get bail, and the younger lady has been released on court conditions. She’ll be in court later this spring.”