Village of Forestburg councillors read a detailed monthly update from their RCMP detachment commander. The report was submitted at the May 7 regular council meeting.

Killam/Forestburg RCMP detachment commander Sgt. Andy Wetzstein provided an update to village councillors on the detachment's work for the month of April 2026.

Sgt. Wetzstein stated that April was a typically busy month for the detachment.

“There were 186 files in the Killam/Forestburg detachment area, which is right around average for this time of year,” stated the sgt.’s report. “We had an excellent arrest of clients down in Alliance that were responsible for thefts from rail yards around the area as well as a significant fraud investigation involving a local Killam non-profit agency. A media release was sent for both instances.

“We had an uptick in assault files, but three of which were dealing with the same repeat clients in Hardisty.

“We continue to provide back-up and coverage for Viking detachment. Viking had a total of 83 files in April 2026, which is just above average for their call volume.”

The sgt. also reported on staffing levels at the Killam/Forestburg detachment.

“We have one hard vacancy,” noted Sgt. Wetzstein. “A cadet has been identified for this vacancy and will be landing towards the end of May/early June. Cst. McFarlane has officially sold his residence and will be departing for Fort McMurray in early June.”

Mental Health Act calls are usually cited by rural RCMP detachment commanders as a service request that appears more prevalent.

“One was reported in April 2026,” stated the sgt.’s report. “We fielded nine well-being check files, which is up from two last month. There were no mental health apprehensions this month that were transported.

“The Wainwright Regional Police and Crisis Team (RPACT) received one referral from the Killam/Forestburg detachment area and attended on-site in Forestburg.”

Sgt. Wetzstein’s report provided stats for Criminal Code and other offences.

“Fourteen Criminal Code charges were laid in April,” he noted. “One charge was declined by the Crown. Investigations in multiple files are still ongoing and we anticipate them leading to charges.

“Rural property crime continues to be a focused priority at Killam detachment. The detachment continues to work with specialized units to combat these concerns. Partnerships with Eastern Alberta District Crime Reduction (EAD) unit, neighbouring detachments, Wetaskiwin Traffic Services and other crime prevention and enforcement initiatives are being utilized. One occurrence involved activity at oilfield properties including thefts or mischief to oilfield equipment/copper wire. Ongoing patrols of the tank farm and rural sites continue. We continue work at stemming these incidents and have several investigations underway with the assistance of our EAD Crime Reduction Unit (CRU).

“We had three impaired investigations that led to suspensions and laid 48 tickets along with 17 written warnings.

“Our nearest traffic unit in Wetaskiwin continues to patrol Flagstaff County on a rotational basis. For all of your community’s awareness, the Alberta Sheriff Traffic Unit (out of Ponoka) will be attending our area to assist with traffic enforcement going forward.

“We lodged nine prisoners at the Killam/Forestburg detachment in April,” added the sgt.

Sgt. Wetzstein noted victim services is involved in proactive referrals.

“Eastern Alberta Regional Victim Serving Society (EARVSS) was utilized 12 times in April 2026, with 10 being proactive referrals and two referrals directly accepted by the victim,” stated the report. “EARVSS has a ‘conditional hire’ offer in place for a candidate to work at the detachment to backfill the current vacancy. This process is at the security clearance stage.”

Sgt. Wetzstein also noted the community events detachment members attended: FCSS Wellness Collective meeting, Hardisty Complex group meeting, online safety presentation at Daysland School, Daysland public town hall organized by MLA Jackie Lovely and UCP advisor Rick Hanson, FCSS Interagency meeting, Coal Lake Dam emergency preparedness, Sedgewick Kindergarten detachment visit, Killam School visit and the Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) meeting in Lougheed.

Councillors accepted the report as information.