AMHERST – You may not see them on the streets but the Cumberland Integrated Street Crime Enforcement Unit is working to keep those streets safe for families in their community.
They take on mid to low level crime like drug trafficking stolen property and break and enters. They are comprised of Amherst and Springhill Police (two units from each), and the Cumberland County RCMP (three members).
“We take on, often, multiple cases at a time,” said Const. Paul Vincent. “We prioritize by significance and time consumption. For example, in the summer months, we’d spend more time on something like the marijuana ratification program.”
But, if another case should surface that involves criminal code activity or a higher level crime, they would take on that case as first priority.
“Some investigations take a day, some take a year,” said Vincent. “The more complex, the more time it takes to build an investigation, prepare a strategy for the enforcement to conduct and build a case that can go through courts.”
The enforcement relies on basic good investigation abilities in developing information
“First responders respond to calls to things like break and enters in progress,” said Sgt. Allan Carroll. “Our units look at criminal organizations or people involved with multiple crimes.”
Vincent said the unit is more proactive rather than reactive. The unit looks at individuals already involved in criminal activities or individuals previously involved in criminal activity to prevent crimes before they even happen. Because of their proactive nature, the unit has seen a fair bit of success.
“Our goal is to reduce crime and get drugs off the street before it gets to our kids.”
The unit is an integrated unit under the oversight of a joint management team comprised of the Chief of the Amherst Police, Springhill Police and District Commander of Cumberland County RCMP.
jturner@amherstdaily.com
