The Moose Jaw Police Service successfully concluded over 90 per cent of its investigations into violence against persons in 2023, with the criminal investigation section playing a major role in resolving them.
The police service (MJPS) investigated 103 such incidents last year, with offences including attempted murder, robbery, aggravated assault, sexual assault and assault causing harm or with a weapon, Staff Sgt. Cam Lewis told the Board of Police Commissioners on Feb. 15 while discussing serious crimes.
Police concluded 89 incidents with a charge against the offender, determined one was unfounded and continued to investigate five, “an incredibly high” clearance rate of 91 per cent — the highest in Saskatchewan, he said.
“Crimes against people, we find it incredibly important that we tackle these … . I hope, as a commission, you’re incredibly proud of the work the service does in regards to that,” Lewis remarked.
The criminal investigation section (CIS) is composed of 4.5 constables, one sergeant and one staff sergeant, and while a small team, they successfully concluded seven targeted investigations into drugs, guns and illegal cigarettes, he said.
Furthermore, the unit participated in other investigations — 11 violent offences, three attempted murders, two suspicious deaths and unlawful confinement — that required extra work and successfully concluded them all. It also handled 60 investigations into internet child exploitation (ICE), with a Social Services worker helping them.
CIS also handles fraud, arson, organized crime, tracks sex offenders and parolees, and conducts intelligence gathering.
Lewis added that the unit investigates one serious incident a month, conducts one targeted investigation per month and investigates one incident of child abuse daily.
Targeted investigations
Last year, the unit successfully concluded six of its seven investigations into drugs, guns and illegal cigarettes while it seized $12,900 in cash, 1,535 grams of fentanyl — equivalent to 15,000 doses — with a street value of $614,000, and quantities of cocaine, meth, marijuana, pills and psilocybin.
Moreover, police seized 110,000 cigarettes worth $32,000 and six firearms, with the offender making $110,000 weekly from selling them.
Fentanyl is the most prevalent drug here — people pay $400 per gram or $40 per point — while it is coming through in hard bricks, said Lewis. Conversely, in the 2000s, morphine was the drug of choice, followed by cocaine, crystal meth, back to cocaine, back to meth and now fentanyl.
Investigation highlights
Police — with the help of the tactical response team (TRT) — successfully concluded a targeted investigation in January 2023, during which they seized cash, meth, cocaine and a real-looking but fake firearm, Lewis said.
The MJPS made its most significant bust in September after members investigated a person involved in drug trafficking who was also on electronic monitoring. While surveilling the man, they saw him intimidate another person with a gun and shoot him, prompting his arrest. After searching the man’s home, they discovered a one-kilogram brick of fentanyl.
“This was probably one of the biggest fentanyl busts in the province last year … . It created a lot of discussion throughout Western Canada,” Lewis said, noting officers also recovered $2,000 in cash.
Finding bricks is new to the unit, especially since the one they recovered had “unique markings” on it, which made it more traceable, he continued. While he declined to say from where the bricks are coming, he acknowledged they are from elsewhere.
In October, a man and woman stole construction equipment, which police tracked and located. Besides arresting the people, they also recovered a half-kilogram — or 5,000 doses — of fentanyl. They also seized a fake gun and 50 grams of cocaine and other drugs.
In December, police learned a man on a Canada-wide warrant was in Moose Jaw and arrested him during a traffic stop. They searched his home and recovered $1,000 in cash, cocaine, meth, marijuana pills, ecstasy, a shotgun and ammunition for other firearms.
“We were very happy to get him off the streets of Moose Jaw and out of town,” said Lewis.
Process to investigate
He then explained how targeted investigations begin, saying police usually receive a report of suspicious activity or tip from Crime Stoppers, followed by police surveillance and human intelligence gathering.
Furthermore, officers work to corroborate information, identify a viable strategy for arrest, conduct more surveillance and intelligence gathering, acquire and use covert tactics and receive judicial authorizations. There are then more judicial authorizations, risk assessments, use of the tactical response team during busts, writing of reports, and storage of exhibits after their seizure.
Some surveillance efforts are labour-intensive — they can take hours, days or even weeks — and require everyone in the CIS unit to support, Lewis added. Also, TRT members are now required for drug busts because over 70 per cent of dealers carry firearms.
The next police board meeting is Wednesday, March 13.
