Manitoba gets tougher on crime

Manitoba Justice Minister Andrew Swan regarding the status of The Manitoba Integrated Warrant Apprehension Unit. (from left to right: WPS Det. Sgt. John O’Donovan; WPS Chief Keith McCaskill; Assistant Commissioner Bill Robinson, RCMP; Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz; WPS Cst. Jason Michalyshen)

December 12, 2011

MANITOBA INTEGRATED WARRANT UNIT ACTIVE

The Manitoba Integrated Warrant Apprehension Unit is making progress in providing focused police resources to get offenders off the streets.
To date, the recently formed unit has been responsible for arresting 150 wanted criminals and has cleared more than 223 warrants from the system.  The unit follows up on arrest warrants issued throughout the province in both RCMP and Winnipeg Police Service jurisdictions.
“The unit uses all of the investigative techniques at their disposal to bring offenders back before the courts,” said Winnipeg Police Service Chief Keith McCaskill.  “This is a unified response to a serious problem.  Offenders need to know that turning themselves in is the best option when police services across Manitoba are communicating and working together to bring them to justice.”
“The RCMP is pleased to be a partner in the integrated warrant unit, where our proactive efforts in holding these offenders accountable are paying off already,” said Assistant Commissioner Bill Robinson, commanding officer of RCMP "D" Division.
“The province supports the work of this new unit in tracking down and catching offenders with outstanding warrants,” said Justice Minister Andrew Swan.  “Their work gives families peace of mind, helps keep our communities safer and puts criminals behind bars where they belong.”
The unit has six police officers:  three from the RCMP and three from the Winnipeg Police Service, funded by the province.  The WPS provides operational and administrative supervision of the unit under Division 51, and it is housed in the Public Safety Building.  It operates three teams, each comprised of one RCMP and one WPS member.  A WPS patrol sergeant is the unit supervisor.
The unit is an additional operational police component that brings offenders back before the judiciary.  Since September, the unit has focused on those who have committed offences against other people and have been:

• identified as responsible for a violent crime but not yet arrested due to the fact that he/she is eluding investigators,
• arrested but failed to attend subsequent court appearances, or
• on bail with court-imposed conditions and breached those conditions.

The integrated unit was formed following consultations that took place between the province and the partner police agencies, the WPS and the RCMP, over the spring and summer.

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The provincial government is distributing this news release on behalf of the Winnipeg Police Service, RCMP and Government of Manitoba.