May be linked to economic downturn

A crime spree has hit Jasper, after local police reported the fifth break-in and theft in a month last week.

Between 7 p.m. the night of Tuesday, March 3 and 9:30 a.m. the next morning, Nava Hair Salon at 606 Patricia St. was broken into and an undisclosed amount of cash was stolen.

Jasper RCMP are seeking the public’s help in identifying an individual described as a caucasian male in his mid 20s, reported to have been wearing a white Nike hoodie and dark gloves, pants and shoes. He is wanted for questioning but not considered a suspect.

Though Cpl. Tony Dolhan of the Jasper RCMP detachment couldn’t reveal where the description came from, he said having surveillance cameras on Patricia Street, where three of the five recent thefts have taken place, would perhaps have been beneficial.

“Whether or not to say it would have solved it, you don’t know,” Dolhan said. “There’s a lot of what-ifs that fall into there, but it wouldn’t have hurt.”

Dolhan said this type of incident doesn’t match the typical mischief and vandalism seen on Patricia Street. The reason these thefts are taking place there is likely because that’s the street most businesses are on. “I don’t believe these places are being targeted,” he said. “When we’re talking targeting, that’s when people are looking and sitting and watching and getting the routine and the scheduling down.”

“If they had to spend that much time they’d actually go get a job,” he said, adding the recent crimes are mostly opportunistic.

Police presence may play a factor. “We don’t have enough members here to do 24-hour policing because we have to have a certain amount of members working at each time... we have to have the availability for backup,” Dolhan said. “So at times we have to utilize on-call.”

The only way to avoid having officers on-call would be to get more officers, and the only way to get more officers would be for the town to pony up some cash. Council has discussed the option, called enhanced policing, but Mayor Richard Ireland said it’s not necessarily the best route for Jasper.

“It’s a little bit uncomfortable in the sense there’s a provincial obligation to provide policing and our view is that when the municipality starts providing costs it begins a slippery road,” Ireland said. “We appreciate the community benefit on the other hand, but how generalized is the approach where you’re supposed to get something from the province but you only get it if you pay extra for it.”
Dolhan, who’s worked in Jasper the last year and a half, said a crime spree like this in Jasper is unprecedented. “We have minor incidences, but I’ve never seen a rash of break and enters, this many this close,” he said. “It’s more than what we’re used to.”

Crime waves can be linked to the economy, Dolhan said, adding the longer an economic downturn lasts, the longer the crime typically goes on.

The night of Feb. 3, someone broke into the portable classroom of École Desrochers and stole three laptop computers. Early the morning of Feb. 26, three Jasper businesses were broken into and had cash and merchandise stolen. No arrests have been made in any of these break and enters.

Anyone with information regarding any of these occurrences is asked to call either the Jasper RCMP at 780-852-4421 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).