Since the start of May, Altona police officers have doled out 53 tickets through MPI's Road Watch program. Thanks to a $25,000 grant from the public insurer, officers have been working overtime, running 20 shifts in Altona and Plum Coulee, to date.

According to the Altona Police Service, tickets issued so far include speeding, unlawful use of cell phones while driving, lack of seat belt use and unregistered vehicles, to name a few.

The department says officers will continue to run the road safety program through the holiday season, until March. Police remind motorists to have a plan to get home safely if they consume alcohol or other legal intoxicants.

 

"To say that COVID-19 has added an additional layer of work for the police service is a huge understatement," stated a department news release.

The Altona Police Service has released data highlighting the impact COVID-19 has had on operations.

Of the 2,327 files or calls for service opened in Altona and Plum Coulee since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, 475 have been COVID-related. As a result, 35 tickets have been issued, along with 72 recorded warnings.

Additionally, officers have conducted 114 quarantine checks and laid four charges as a result.

As well, the service noted another 247 calls related to various other COVID issues have filtered into the station since March 2020, on top of the many others that come in daily that aren't recorded but simply forwarded to Manitoba Public Health.

"To say that COVID-19 has added an additional layer of work for the police service is a huge understatement," stated a department news release. "We all have a role to play in getting to the other side of this pandemic. The vast majority of our country, our province and our communities are doing their part. To you we say thank you!"

"Lets all be kind and do our part in making 2022 a much better year," added the statement.