jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel
Police have been receiving more calls since the first week of our social distancing regime, but it’s still less than normal for this time of year.
Medicine Hat Police Service Insp. Brent Secondiak tells the News that the bulk of this increase has occurred during day shifts, with an increase in thefts at stores and complaints about proper social distancing.
“People are really trying to comply with the orders, so at night they’re staying home,” said Secondiak.
“During the day there’s still activities they have to do. Some people still have to go to work, some people are going out for walks, so there’s of course a little bit of conflict.”
Last week, police were given the ability to enforce social distancing protocols among individuals, ensuring that no groups larger than 15 people are congregated and that everyone in a group is at least two metres apart from each other, as well as enforcing self-isolation for those who have been out of the country.
Alberta Health Services deals with the business side of the equation, ensuring they’re all compliant, he said.
He says police have issued warnings about social distancing rules, but haven’t written any tickets.
“Most people have been very compliant and if there’s a concern we’ve just been addressing it verbally. There’s been no breaches thus far,” said Secondiak.
Police are responding to complaints,rather than patrolling to look for people who are violating pandemic protocols, he said.
“If we receive a complaint, we’ll look at the nature of the complaint and talk to the individuals. We may have to do an investigation if people aren’t complying,” Secondiak said.
“It’s a bit confusing and it does change so frequently that it’s difficult for people to get caught up on.”
He says past events, such as the 2013 floods, have prepared Hatters for complying with emergency protocols.
“It’s a real testament to how Hatters react to these situations. We’ve been through it before with floods and people generally comply with these orders. It’s been really positive from our point of view thus far,” Secondiak said.
