Authorities in the City of Red Deer are patting themselves on the back after a successful operation aimed at cutting crime in the downtown core.
Officials say in order to cut down on the amount of crime in the city, members conducted a number of targeted enforcement operations throughout the summer, alongside the regular day-to-day operations.
As a result of the effort, police arrested 214 people, laid 422 criminal charges, executed 364 warrants, recovered 31 stolen vehicles, wrote 547 tickets and responded to six bylaw offences within the 1,337 hours allotted for the operation.
"The success in Red Deer's downtown over the summer is a result of strategic, targeted focus and the dedication of our officers to the community," said S/Sgt. Jeff McBeth, acting operations officer for the Red Deer RCMP in a release.
One of the areas of crime that RCMP paid attention to was the sex trade and officers say the summer operation made a significant dent in that too.
During the month of August, 11 men, ranging in age from 21 to 61 years old, were charged with obtaining sexual services for consideration.
One of the men was also charged with drug possession and another was arrested on an outstanding warrant.
"It's critical that we continue to work to deter this type of crime in order to protect workers in the sex trade industry," said Inspector Mark Groves, operations support officer for Red Deer in a release.
More information on crime prevention in the City of Red Deer can be found online.
