Man robs another at needle-point, police say

Police in Prince Albert are looking for a 40-year-old man who allegedly held up someone he knew with a used needle. 

Police were called out to the 400 block of 21st Street East for a robbery call. According to police, the victim, a 38-year-old man told them a man approached him while he was walking home. He apparently knew the man.

The man wielding the dirty needle demanded money and the victim complied, handing over an undisclosed amount of cash and his mittens. The man left the scene on foot.

The victim was not injured.

“We know who the suspect is,” Sgt. Brandon Mudry said on Monday. “A warrant’s been issued. We’re not looking for the public’s assistance in this case, we’re looking for our bad guy.”

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Police have not issued a description of the 40-year-old suspect.

It was one of the incidents of note on what the police are calling a “steady” weekend. The police responded to 12 car accidents over the weekend, with seven reported on Friday, when the snowstorm hit Prince Albert.

Police are asking drivers to slow down, stay alert, clean off their vehicles and let their windows defrost before they drive.

The winter weather has also meant that more people are leaving their vehicles running with keys inside while they warm up. And the police have seen this lead to a rise in stolen vehicles.

Mudry pointed out that leaving a car engine running is against one of the City of Prince Albert bylaws. 

Cyber Monday and package thefts

As the online Christmas shopping season begins to pick up, police are warning residents to take precautions against holiday package thefts.

They’re urging the public to make arrangements with delivery services to avoid these kinds of thefts.

Mudry said that he received a call from a woman on Friday who reported a package stolen. Inside the package was a toy she had ordered for her grandchild.

 “It’s the new way of doing things,” he said of online purchases. “With packages being left in mailboxes and on doorsteps, unfortunately, it’s become an occurrence.”

He suggested that residents could arrange to have the delivery service require a signature when the packaged is dropped off.

“Safe drop off simply means that they’re going to leave it on your doorstep or in a safe place. That could be your door step, which isn’t necessarily safe.”

tjames@panow.com

On Twitter: @thiajames