Sylvan Lake RCMP have seen a quite few months since COVID-19 lock-down protocols went into place in mid-march.
Staff Sergeant Jeff McBeth says there has not been an increase in calls for service in the area over the last month or so.
In fact he says calls for service dropped after the COVID-19 protocols went into place.
“When Covid-19 first started and became a concern for everybody, our calls for service did drop dramatically” McBeth said in a recent phone interview.
As the temperatures begin to warm, calls for service have begun to increase.
McBeth says it is normal not only for Sylvan Lake, but all jurisdictions covered by the local RCMP to see calls increase during the warmer months.
“There hasn’t really been an increase in calls for service other than the normal increase we would expect at this time of year,” said McBeth.
He says the summer months the Sylvan Lake RCMP sees a peak in calls for service.
In early April, a man from Eckville reported he heard a gun shot in the area. McBeth says no gun-related criminal offence was observed during the month of April.
“We get calls like that all the time. People hear gunshots, they hear them in Sylvan, in Bentley in Eckville and surrounding areas. Nine times out of 10 it is nothing more than fireworks,” he said.
“There is no call I can remember that certainly turned out to be a legitimate gun shot.”
McBeth says the Sylvan Lake RCMP take call about a possible gun shot very seriously, but haven’t come across a case where it has been a criminal offence in a long time.
He says the concerns are very valid but more often turns out not be a criminal act that is being heard, BcMeth says it could be a nearby farmer or a hunter.