Shoplifting continues to plague the local business community.

Twice in just over a week Ardene staff reported attempted shoplifting attempts. On March 26, police received a report of two female suspects who were suspected of stealing a dress and leaving the store. Police attended and patrolled the area but were unable to locate the suspects but are awaiting video footage of the theft from the store.

Just over a week later on April 5, police were once again disptached to Ardene regarding a 16 year old shoplifter who stole a pair of shorts which were later recovered by store staff. The female was given a verbal caution for the Theft and her parents were also advised of the incident.

Other businesses were not immune. On March 29, police were advised by Superstore Loss Prevention Personnel of two individuals who were being detained for shoplifting. Police attended and learned that the 19 year old male and 17 year old female attempted to leave the store with several beauty items concealed in their jackets and boots. The store did not wish to proceed with charges in this instance and the individuals were released with verbal cautions.

The same day, the manager of MCC reported that a female known to him had stolen several items from the store but did not wish to press charges however wished to ban her from the store and have her pay for the stolen items. Police contacted the female who agreed to pay for the stolen items and she was also served a banishment letter.
 
On April 6, the manager of Winkler Consumers Co-op advised police of an attempted shoplifting incident that occurred on April 5th. A female suspect pushed a shopping cart full of groceries through a closed till but was stopped by the store manager. The suspect began to follow the manager to his office upon request but then proceeded to walk away. The store did not wish to proceed with charges however advised that the female was now banned from the store.

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Below is the Winkler Police Report from March 26 to April 8:

March 27 – A resident of Imperial Bay reported two individuals rummaging through vehicles parked on the street. Nothing was noted to be missing from the complainant’s vehicle.

A resident of Parkland Crescent reported that his vehicle was rummaged through sometime during the night and a small amount of spare change was stolen.

March 28 – A construction trailer on Townsend Drive was reported to have the back door open and the complainant was concerned as she had not observed anyone working at this location during the week. Police attended and spoke with an employee on site who stated that he unlocked the trailer earlier in the morning and that the trailer had not been broken into and was not missing any property.

Police were dispatched to a residence on 8th Street South to assist in keeping the peace between several individuals. The complainant was attending the residence to pick up her niece who had been living at the home for the past month and was concerned this would cause an altercation. Police remained on scene while the niece gathered her belongings and departed the scene with her aunt.

March 30 – A complaint was received of a suspicious vehicle that had followed the caller through town to his neighborhood. Police located the suspect vehicle and spoke with the driver who stated that he may have driven in the same direction of the complainant but stated it was not intentional. Police advised the complainant of their findings.

March 31 – Police were dispatched to a residence on Orion Lane regarding a male who had been consuming alcohol throughout the day and was attempting to drive away from the home. Police attended and located the highly intoxicated male suspect standing outside the residence. The 46 year old male was arrested under the Intoxicated Persons Detention Act and later released once sober.

A report was received of an intoxicated male inside a residence on George Avenue who was known to become violent when under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Police entered the residence and noted the male suspect to have bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. Police confirmed that no assault took place, that the male did not live at the residence and arrested the male under the Intoxicated Persons Detention Act. The 20 year old male was later released once sober.

Police were notified of a suspected impaired driver operating a vehicle near the Canadian Tire Gas Bar. Police located the suspect vehicle and performed a traffic stop during which no signs of impairment were found.

A vehicle was reported to be travelling on the sidewalk along Grandeur Avenue and one of the occupants of the vehicle was recording the incident. This file is still under investigation.

Police were dispatched to the Walmart area regarding a female assaulting a male. A witness advised police that the female was seen chasing the male toward Bulk Barn. Police located the 19 year old male and 16 year old female who both stated that the altercation was verbal and no physical assault had taken place. Police spoke with the witness who declined to provide a statement regarding the assault. The female was then released without charges as both parties denied the assault and the witness declined to provide a statement.

April 1 - A resident of Challenger Crescent requested police to attend her home as her son was verbally arguing with her husband and had extinguished a lit cigarette on her foot the previous evening. Police arrested the 28 year old male for Assault Causing Bodily Harm and transported him to the Winkler Police Service. The male was later released on a Promise to Appear with conditions.

Police were dispatched to Eden Mental Health Centre after receiving a complaint of a visitor who was refusing to leave the facility. Police attended and spoke with the male, who eventually agreed to leave and was escorted out of the building.

Police observed a vehicle operating with purple fog lights and subsequently issued the owner a warning notice. The owner was given a set period of time to remedy the situation.

April 2 – A complaint was received of a verbal dispute between two tenants at Triangle Oasis. Police located the two males outside the building and assisted in defusing the argument. Both parties were advised to leave each other alone and they agreed to do so.

Police received a call from Quality Inn requesting assistance with a disoriented female. Police attended the hotel and spoke with the front desk employee who advised that the female consumed a small amount of liquor in the lounge but was very confused and required assistance in walking back to her room. Staff attempted to check on the female but she would not open the door or answer the phone. Police entered the room and found the female sleeping and located an empty bottle of liquor. Police spoke with the female and determined she was in good health and planned to stay the night at the hotel.

April 3 – A resident of Platinum Road reported that on March 23rd the rear driver’s side window of her vehicle was damaged while parked on her driveway.

Police were dispatched to the Southland Mall regarding a young male in possession of a knife. Police attended and located the male who showed police he was carrying a bottle opener. Police advised the male to not display the opener in public as it had a similar appearance to a knife and he agreed to do so.

April 4 – Police received a complaint from a male who stated that his wallet containing his debit card and credit card was stolen and both cards were used several times at 7-Eleven and McDonald’s in Winkler as well as several other locations in Winnipeg. The suspect was identified and it was learned that he had already been arrested in another jurisdiction for several other unrelated charges. The Winkler Police Service will continue to investigate these thefts and charges are pending.

A resident of Coulter Driver reported that during the night someone entered his unlocked garage and rummaged through his unlocked vehicle, stealing spare change and a charging cable.

Police received a report of a dangerous driver travelling on Southview Drive who drove onto the sidewalk, into the oncoming lane and repeatedly back and forth in his own lane. Police located the suspect vehicle and spoke with the driver who stated he travelled on the sidewalk as he was distracted by his conversation with a passenger, and the other complaints were due to him being silly. The complainant declined to provide a statement therefore the driver was issued a written warning for Drive Imprudently.

April 6 – Police were advised of a male inside a residence on Main Street that was no longer welcome inside the home. Police attended and spoke with the male who was found to be intoxicated and unable to care for himself. The 31 year old male was arrested under the Intoxicated Persons Detention Act and later released once sober.

April 7 – Police were dispatched to Triangle Oasis to speak with a tenant of the building. Police attended and spoke with the male who smelled heavily of liquor and was unsteady on his feet. The male was arrested under the Intoxicated Persons Detention Act and was released once sober.

A report was received of an assault that had taken place inside the Southland Mall involving two males, a female and multiple bystanders. The complainant stated that the two males assaulted her friend and swung a knife at her. Police attended and spoke with the males involved in the assault who that stated the female assaulted them and one of the males pulled out the knife to stop the assault. All parties involved received verbal warnings, were dealt with through Alternative Measures and their parents were notified.

April 8 – Police were advised of a domestic assault taking place inside a vehicle parked on 3rd Street South. The witness stated the male driver then drove to another location on Peters Avenue. Police spoke with both parties who denied the assault but learned that the male had provided a false name to police and was prohibited from driving. The 24 year old resident of Winnipeg was arrested for Drive While Prohibited and Fail to Comply with a Probation Order and the vehicle was also towed from the scene. The male was released on a Promise to Appear with conditions.