RCMP street crime unit to start work in eastern P.E.I.

Two new officers have been hired for the Kings County RCMP detachment to deal with street crime, mostly connected to illegal drugs, in response to complaints from the public.

RCMP Sgt. Leanne Butler said the situation in eastern P.E.I. requires more focused attention.

"These two members will be dedicated to what they're doing, and given the time to do the investigations," said Butler.

"Drug investigations take time and these members will be able to do that day or night. They'll be able to adjust their shifts as needed. And hopefully we can make an impact."

As it stands, RCMP officers in the area are having to deal with calls as they come in, an impaired driver complaint or a motor vehicle accidents, that can distract them from investigations that require more time.

"Say something happens, like a large group of break and enters happen, and we need to have a task force that's dedicated to catch the people because that's an ongoing problem," said Butler.

"Those two members can do that. They can do the surveillance, they can do the investigation, assist our general duty members."

The two officers coming onto the new general investigation section have years of experience in this kind of work, said Butler.

They are expected to start work some time this month.

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