Prince Albert's Shawn Bayko says a man who broke into his home, fled outside this side door. (Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

By paNOW Staff

BREAK AND ENTER

P.A. couple left afraid and restless after overnight break-and-enter

Apr 25, 2024 | 5:00 PM

A Prince Albert couple is still shaken up over a recent break-and-enter at their West Hill home and they believe not enough is being done to prevent these crimes.

Calling it a scary and uncomfortable situation, Shawn Bayko said that on Thursday morning just after 3:20, his girlfriend got out of bed briefly when he heard her talking to someone else.

After hearing his girlfriend ask “How did you get in our house?”, Bayko knew something was wrong. He got up and confronted the man who broke in through another bedroom’s window.

Bayko eventually posted about the situation to his social media pages, saying that the man broke through the window screen in a bedroom on the main floor and asked if he could stay the night after being confronted.

Bayko furiously said no and told the man he was calling the police. That’s when he tried to escape.

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“He took out to the side door, and I tried grabbing him, I got him a little bit and gave him a shot to the back and off he went,” he said.

Police arrived at the home and said they found the suspect and a few stolen items, including prescription sunglasses and a kitchen knife.

Bayko said his brand-new mattress, which cost around $950, was ruined by the muddy footprints the suspect left on it.

(Submitted Photo/Shawn Bayko)

While Bayko plans to install security cameras around the property, he doesn’t believe it will do anything to deter another break-in from happening in the future.

He believes not enough is being done in the city to address rampant crime as well as the homeless situation and issues of mental health and addictions. He and his girlfriend say some of their friends also fell victim to break-and-enters this week.

According to Prince Albert Police, 13 residential break-and-enters were reported in January of this year, down from 19 in January of 2023.

While the province and the city continue to fund Prince Albert police and its Crime Reduction Unit, the force has said it requires more money to maintain its services.

“Any reduction to the proposed budget means that resources will be strained and could potentially lead to a decline in the standard of public safety that the police services is able to provide,” said Police Commission chair, Janet Carriere who wrote to City Council last December for more funding in the 2024 Budget.

While several support systems exist in Prince Albert to help with mental health, the city still lacks a permanent building for a homeless shelter.

Earlier this month, the YWCA told paNOW that they are still trying to finalize a location for a permanent shelter in the city.

The YWCA, which operates the Stepping Stones shelter at its temporary location on the Exhibition Grounds, said several spots have been identified, but have not been approved by city hall.

“The city has to say that they’re good with these areas. We know that it’s a complicated issue,” said YWCA CEO Donna Brooks.

The Prince Albert Downtown Business Improvement District (PADBID) has opposed having the shelter in the downtown core. Past attempts to build a permanent shelter fell through in 2022 after an application by Calgary-based non-profit, The Mustard Seed.

The faith-based organization applied to the city in August of 2022 to operate a permanent overnight shelter that could accommodate 50 people.

They also told the city that they offer support services to help people leave the streets if they wish.

Council denied the initial request based on the chosen location on Central Avenue and said the business community preferred it to be a few blocks away.

Representatives from the Mustard Seed later put an alternative location in front of council, but a decision was further delayed because council had questions about finances.

Earlier this year, the Government of Saskatchewan announced a $40.2 million investment in new funding through the Provincial Approach to Homelessness over two years that will create 155 new supportive housing spaces, 120 new permanent emergency shelter spaces, and enhance community safety and outreach responses.

In February, the Federal Government said it was putting nearly $200 million in new money toward supporting low-income renters and shelters.

About $100 million will go toward emergency winter funding to help shelters to create more spaces for people without housing.

Regardless of where these supports come from, Bayko said the services need to be in place ASAP to hopefully prevent future crimes like the one he experienced.

“I’m scared that this is going to happen again,” he said. “Waking up to someone being in your house, It’s very uncomfortable and you’re mind-blown, and you’re very scared, shaking and you don’t know what to do at that point.”

Bayko said he does plan to press charges against the suspect who broke in and added that the ordeal has left him considering moving away from Prince Albert.

paNOW has reached out to Prince Albert Police for additional comments on the break-and-enter and are awaiting a reply.

–With files from The Canadian Press

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panews@pattisonmedia.com