Bill C-10 opponents occupy minister’s office

Several protesters “occupied” Manitoba justice minister Andrew Swan’s constituency office last weekend in protest of Swan’s support the federal government’s new crime bill, the Winnipeg Free Press reported.

About a dozen protesters stormed Swan’s office on the afternoon of Nov. 18, armed with sleeping bags and overnight gear, while more camped out outside the office.

A statement released the same day said protesters feel Swan and the NDP government “refuse to listen to the advice of experts who study crime and its causes or to the experience of those who work in the field, and you refuse to listen to the concerns of Manitobans who are most affected by crime and criminalization.”

The protest ended Saturday afternoon, but organizers vowed to return if the NDP government does not change their position on the omnibus crime bill.

Regina police investigate Manitoba RCMP shooting on reserve

A shooting incident on the Long Plain First Nation involving a Manitoba RCMP officer is under investigation by Regina police, CBC News reports.

A 28-year-old man was shot by police on Nov. 19 following a disturbance in which he was allegedly assaulting people with a baseball bat. He is in stable condition.

Four people were injured in the incident, according to CBC News.
The discharge of a weapon automatically involves a review, police have said. David Meeches, chief of the reserve, said the community has agreed to take part in the review.

Winnipeg police release crime reduction strategy

The Winnipeg Police Service released its highly anticipated crime reduction strategy Nov. 18, which aims for modest reductions to violent crimes and address issues in downtown Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Sun reports.

Winnipeg police are aiming to reduce sexual assaults by three per cent and overall assaults by nine per cent by 2014.

“We think those (numbers) are achievable; we’re going to try and do a lot more,” said Winnipeg police chief Keith McCaskill.

He also pointed out that the city’s overall crime rate has dropped by 7.9 per cent compared to the time period between January and October of last year.

Only District 1, which encompasses the downtown area, saw an increase.

Police are planning to increase the number of police on patrol downtown and up the amount of patrol hours on bikes by 500 hours.