Sergeant David Sullivan attended the Assiniboia Chamber of Commerce Lunch and Learn on December 19 at the Chamber building on Highway Two. The meeting held on Thursday was sponsored by Kal Tire.
“My name is Dave Sullivan. We haven’t been here for a long time, but we’re glad to be here.” Sullivan, who originally hailed from the Truro area of Nova Scotia, had served in postings across the country with the RCMP. Assiniboia represented the sergeant’s fifth posting. He’s functioned as an officer in British Columbia, served in his home province of Nova Scotia and had been posted to other parts of Canada. “I’ve moved across the country. I’m not used to all this openness,” he said in reference to south central Saskatchewan’s prairie landscapes.
Sullivan is content to be heading a manageable detachment in Assiniboia with an adequate number of personnel. “Currently the detachment here is fully staffed for the moment, but this could change,” Sullivan added, further explaining that RCMP members are frequently reposted around the nation to meet operational needs. “Normally, you have a list of choices where you want to go, but you have to go where they need you.”
Assiniboia’s new police sergeant answered some of questions from the public attending the Lunch and Learn, such as the opioid crisis affecting many areas in Canada. “We don’t get a lot of reports about that – this hasn’t been a major issue here yet. There’s still more people dying from alcohol, but opioids are being used much more.”
Sullivan also responded to queries about internet and bank frauds. “Bank fraud is a very common practice. Whenever we get calls from someone asking what to do, we tell them not to give out personal information.” Sullivan said it’s often difficult to apprehend those responsible for committing internet and bank frauds, since they typically perform their crimes from remote locations. “The majority I’ve heard about are in another country or another province. What seems to be going now is that these hackers are attacking large companies and holding them for ransom,” the sergeant added.
Fraudsters are continuing to find ways to steal money through creative means. Sullivan talked about conmen who post rental properties of places they don’t own onto sites like Kijiji then collect the deposit money and the first month’s rent from unsuspecting would-be renters. Fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated in their methods, so buyers and purchasers should be more aware of any possible wrongdoings. Sullivan described a situation where an individual recently bought a used car from a seller in Rockglen. The buyer presented the retailer with an official looking but fraudulent cheque of $7000 from the non-existent Bank of Scotia.
