Police issue nearly 800 tickets over July long weekend

Weekly Report: Monday, June 26 to Sunday, July 2, 2023, inclusive.

Please note all information below occurred within the time period above, unless otherwise noted.

Saskatchewan RCMP — Your Provincial Police Service

Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan issue 795 tickets, 704 warnings over long weekend

Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan officers were out this long weekend, targeting unsafe behaviour like speeding, aggressive driving, impaired driving, distracting driving and improper seat belt use.

Between June 30 at 5 p.m. and July 3 at 11:59 p.m., CTSS officers:

• removed 14 impaired drivers from the road (two were charged with impaired driving under the Criminal Code and 12 were issued driver’s license suspensions for having a blood alcohol content between .04 to .08 or drug impairment).
• issued 795 tickets. These included:
  • 404 speeding tickets;
  • 40 cellphone use tickets;
  • 39 seatbelt infraction tickets; and
  • 45 tickets for invalid registration (35 for vehicles and 10 for trailers).
• issued 42 vehicle defect inspection notices.
• gave out 704 warnings.

Background: Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan (CTSS) is a province-wide traffic enforcement unit consisting of members from the RCMP and municipal police services, funded by the Government of Saskatchewan and SGI.

Two new motorcycles help RCMP CTSS Prince Albert officers spot unsafe driving behaviour

Saskatchewan RCMP officers with Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan (CTSS) Prince Albert now have two motorcycles in their fleet – the only police motorcycles in the Prince Albert area.

“We’re excited because motorcycles are great tools for checking for unsafe driving behaviours,” explains Sgt. Jeremy Knodel from CTSS Prince Albert. “People don’t immediately notice a police motorcycle – certainly not from a distance. Motorcycles are also extremely agile and allow officers to get close to vehicles to check for unsafe behaviour. If the driver is not wearing their seatbelt or talking on their cellphone, motorcycles help our officers spot the infraction before drivers have a chance to quickly put down the phone or buckle up.”

The proof is in the numbers: in 2022, the CTSS RCMP motorcycle program issued 810 charges and 239 warnings for cellphone use, as well as 768 charges and 575 warnings for seatbelt misuse. CTSS RCMP motorcycles are 5.5 times more effective than traditional marked police vehicles at cellphone use enforcement, and almost 84% more effective than traditional marked police vehicles at seatbelt enforcement.

Investigative Recap

Ongoing missing person investigations. Saskatchewan RCMP continues to ask for public assistance locating the following missing individuals:

• Seth Deschambeault – Prince Albert Detachment area
• Malcolm Custer – Smeaton Detachment area
• Branden Baptiste – Battlefords Detachment area
• Shequille “Shack” Gamble – Big River Detachment area
• Merle Wolfe – Onion Lake Detachment area
• Sheenalyn Sewap – Pelican Narrows Detachment area
• Fritz Chartrand – Yorkton Detachment area

June 27: Charges laid in Misha Pavelick homicide investigation

June 29: Saskatoon RCMP respond to serious motor vehicle collision near Plunkett, SK

July 29: RCMP officers with Yorkton Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan were conducting proactive patrols on Highway #1 near Indian Head. At approximately 12:15 p.m., officers observed a vehicle with illegal tint and initiated a traffic stop. As a result of further observations during this traffic stop, officers searched the vehicle and located and seized approximately 10 kilograms of opium poppy pods. As a result, the driver of the vehicle, 26-year-old Jagraj Singh from Brampton, ON was arrested and charged with one count, possession for the purpose of trafficking, Section 5(2), Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. He made his first appearance in Regina Provincial Court on June 30, 2023 (Information #90466226). Saskatchewan RCMP’s Roving Traffic Unit and Saskatchewan Ministry of Finance Revenue Enforcement assisted in this investigation.

June 30 – July 2: Saskatchewan RCMP investigating three fatal collisions

Note: From January 1 to July 2, 2023, Saskatchewan RCMP has responded to 26 fatal collisions, two less than over the same period in 2022. Twenty-seven people have died as a result of collisions in 2023, six less than over the same period last year.

July 1: Beauval RCMP ask the public to report information on 57-year-old male involved in theft from vehicle

July 1: As a result of an ongoing trafficking investigation, La Ronge RCMP initiated a traffic stop on La Ronge Avenue. Officers observed alcohol in plain sight in the vehicle and arrested the adult male driver, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle. During his arrest and subsequent search of the vehicle, officers located and seized a firearm, approximately 29 grams of cocaine, a sum of cash and trafficking paraphernalia. 29-year-old Ryan Murray from Saskatoon is charged with: one count, possession for the purpose of trafficking (cocaine), Section 5(2), Controlled Drugs and Substances Act; one count, possession of property obtained by crime less than $5,000, Section 354(1)(a), Criminal Code; one count, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, Section 88(2), Criminal Code; one count, unauthorized possession of a firearm, Section 91(3), Criminal Code; and one count, possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle, Section 94(2), Criminal Code. He is scheduled to appear in La Ronge Provincial Court on July 4, 2023 (Information 90490977). The investigation continues.

Incidents in Saskatchewan RCMP jurisdiction June 26 to July 2, 2023

Please note: the statistics below are representative of reports received within the Saskatchewan RCMP jurisdiction. They are from the RCMP records management system and are accurate as the day they are collected. Crime statistics are regularly updated due to changes in reporting procedures, changes in ongoing investigations, etc. As a result, the statistics below may differ from previous or future published reports.