The week of March 15th - March 21st Prince Rupert RCMP received 189 calls for service.

Monday was a busy day down at the court house. An officer waiting to testify recognized a male that had an outstanding warrant ,walk out of the court room. The officer arrested the male and while doing a search located a black lead pipe with a rigged up bungee handle that appeared to be for easy swinging. The officer informed the sheriff and they conducted searches on three other males in the court house. A knife and marijuana were found on one of the males. The male was arrested for possession. These males may have been at the court house to try and intimidate witnesses involved in the trial. Intimidation of a justice system participant is a criminal code offense that carries a punishment of up to 14 years in jail and will not be tolerated in our community.

A 10 year old child was approached on Sloan Avenue while walking a dog after dinner. The 20 year old First Nations male wearing blue jeans and long sleeved blue shirt approached the child on foot and suggested the child come to his house to see his puppy. The male also offered the child candy and repeatedly asked the child to come to his house. The child refused and ran home. RCMP made patrols, but did not locate suspect. The child indicated that the male had a tattoo on his left arm.

RCMP received another call from a local bar that there was a male in their business that had a “no go liquor establishment.” This condition was placed on the male for dealing drugs in bars. RCMP attended and arrested the individual and he was charged with breaching his conditions. This relationship between RCMP and bar owners/staff has been working very well. Keep those calls coming.

A male called police to complain that he had paid his neighbor $140 for marijuana the day before and he had never received it. Warning: Marijuana can severely impair judgement and the ability to make rational decisions. Enough said.

A 36-year old male called his probation officer and stated that he was going to shoot himself and any police officer that tried to stop him. Not something we like to hear first thing in the morning before coffee has kicked in. Six members attended a residence where the suspect was known to frequent. Checks on the residence revealed there was a registered firearm in the home. Police were let into the home by one of the occupants and told the suspect was upstairs. The male was arrested without incident under the mental health act and deemed not suicidal by hospital staff. The male was then arrested for uttering threats and transported to cells.

A male was picked up after he breached his curfew on two separate occasions. This male really did not want his fingerprints taken and thought the best way to express this was to utter threats to the officer trying to collect the prints then proceed to break the RCMP ink pad. Not smart. 2 breach charges + 1 utter threats +1 mischief charge = 9 months in jail.

Unwanted guest. RCMP received a complaint of a squatter using a vacant residence to live in. It appears the male is stealing from the home as well as other homes and vehicles in the neighborhood. The effects are then being pawned. Please report any suspicious activity you see in vacant or abandoned homes. It is a criminal offense to unlawfully be in a dwelling-house. This charge cannot be used for mother in laws who overextend their stays, sorry. Make sure to secure vacant homes and/or have somebody checking on these residences on a regular basis. Keep premises tidy and do not let mail build up.

Police also had a report of a fire being set under a deck of a residence. The police attended and found that the stove exhaust pipe ran underneath the deck and it appears someone has been using the covered area to sleep. The person had started a fire, probably for warmth, and it caused some damage to the deck. The Salvation Army operates a shelter for men, but overcrowding and cold weather does lead people to take desperate measure.

Some downtown businesses had their windows broken over the weekend by rocks. No surveillance video was available from any of the businesses.

Please contact Prince Rupert RCMP at 250-624-2136 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS if you have any information on any crime. You can now also send an anonymous tip online at www.bccrimestoppers.com.