PORT HARDY— Port Hardy's new RCMP Staff Sergeant, Gord Brownridge, issued the local detachment's quarterly report to Council this week.
The report shows a considerable drop in the total files that the detachment opened in the April to June quarter compared to the same period last year.
In 2011 the detachment opened 1,021 files, a figure that dropped to 748 this year.
Despite the smaller number of files, the number of detentions resulting from Judicial Justice of the Peace hearings remains almost unchanged from the same period in 2011.
Having joined the Port Hardy detachment less than a month ago, S/Sgt Brownridge was not in a position to comment on local trends but did affirm the detachment's strategic direction remains unchanged. The local detachment continues to work on four priorities; substance abuse, traffic, crime reduction, and maintaining a presence in First Nations communities.
S/Sgt Brownridge comes to Port Hardy from his most recent posting at the Vancouver headquarters, although the 23-year veteran of the force has worked in every region in Canada except the far north during his RCMP tenure.
The local detachment will be in the community in the coming weeks with a planned presence at the upcoming Fall Fair, and representatives attending the NIEFS job fair.