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Assault calls up in the city for holiday

Jan 5, 2011 | 5:07 AM

Both the Prince Albert Police Service and Parkland Ambulance reported many calls to respond to assaults over the New Year’s weekend.

But according to Sgt. Kelly McLean, with the city police, this isn’t unsusal. The number of calls for the police was fairly equal to the last three years, he said.

“I don’t think assaults have increased over the holiday time period this year any more than they have in years past,” McLean said.

“We have an inordinate amount of physical assaults in this community.”

Prince Albert is a bit of an anomaly when it comes to statistical data, said McLean, but he added that 40 per cent of these incidents involve people who do not live in the community.

The Police Service has been working with various organizations and groups in a community mobilization project bring criminal activity down in the city.

The idea is to attack problems from multiple angles to come up with the best solutions.

One of the most recent projects was a join effort between the Prince Albert Police Service and the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority to address issues in regards to service and sale of alcohol.

Officers and Inspectors attended Prince Albert bars, pubs and nightclubs to crack down on misuse of ID’s and general conduct of patrons and staff.

McLean said in 2011 there will continue to be more community collaborations and hopes the ability for different organizations to work together will be strengthened.

sfroese@panow.com