With multiple communities across Alberta still under an evacuation order because of the risk posed by wildfires, RCMP held a news conference Wednesday to address looting concerns raised by people forced out of their homes.
Supt. Blake Ward, the RCMP’s assistant district officer for western Alberta, spoke to reporters in the northwestern Alberta town of Valleyview where residents had been ordered to leave on Monday.
He said police across the province are working in evacuated communities to keep people out and to help prevent trespassing and theft at both homes and businesses.
RCMP said in addition to foot patrols, police are using drones and flying aircraft with nightvision capability to prevent thefts and other crimes.
As of Wednesday morning, Alberta RCMP said there had been 28 reported incidents of either break and enters or trespassing in evacuated communities. Twelve arrests have been made but police did not say how many charges have been laid.
Ward noted that “there’s some active investigations regarding a number of fires across the province … (involving) suspicious starts.” He did not provide details on any specific investigation.
Overall, however, Ward said that crime in evacuated communities “has not been widespread.”
The wildfire situation in Alberta dramatically escalated earlier this month when hot and dry weather and windy conditions combined to put a number of communities at risk, including larger municipalities like Drayton Valley and Edson.
Ward acknowledged that patrolling evacuated communities requires a lot of resources.
“We do have other police needs elsewhere in the province that still need to be addressed, and so we can’t have everybody up here,” he said. “We do need that support, which is why we’ve reached out to other communities and other provinces.”
The RCMP said it has received assistance with resources for handling the wildfire evacuations from law enforcement agencies in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
When asked about how the RCMP is dealing with people not complying with evacuation orders, Ward said police have not been laying charges against people who refuse to leave their home.
“We’re not about to force anyone to leave an evacuation zone,” he said. “If they are choosing to stay behind, we want to make sure they’re properly informed … and then from there they make their decisions.”
Ward said to help reduce the possibility of theft, evacuees should aim to secure all valuables or take as many as they can with them before leaving their homes.
The work of RCMP officers during the crisis was praised by Ward on Wednesday. He also offered his gratitude for the support police officers have received from wildfire evacuees.
“What has been so incredibly humbling over the last couple of weeks is our interactions with the residents who, despite going through a stressful and emotionally taxing situation, took the time to recognize that we are there to help,” he said. “The thumbs-up or the thank-you when you’re passing a checkpoint — those mean so much to our members.
“We thank everyone who has helped by taking the steps to be prepared. In situations like this, time is valuable.”