Westlock and Barrhead RCMP want to remind residents about the law regarding self-defence after an incident late last year where a resident pursued a suspected criminal with a loaded shotgun.
On Nov. 14, 2017, a resident phoned Westlock RCMP to tell them he was in pursuit of a suspected thief in a truck. The resident told police he was chasing the suspect in his own truck and had taken a loaded 12-gauge shotgun with him because he believed the suspect was armed.
RCMP eventually calmed the resident down and convinced him to call off the chase.
“This guy calls us because he saw the suspect truck scouting yards and says he knows who is driving it and the guy he names is very well known to us. He’s following the suspect and then the suspect takes off,” said Barrhead RCMP Sgt. Bob Dodds. “We managed to tell him to knock it off. Nobody got hurt, the suspect is still out and about and we have a warrant out for his arrest.”
Dodds declined to name either of the individuals involved in the chase, but noted the resident could have been in serious legal trouble if he continued the chase.
“He could be looking at a lot of things. He has no authority to drive faster than the posted speed limit so right away he’s risking his driver’s licence. If he causes a collision, he would be liable for it,” he said. “If the complainant had ended up shooting the suspect, he could have been looking at second or maybe even first-degree murder because he actively pursued him.”
He pointed out that self-defence only covers dealing with an immediate threat. If an attacker or intruder stops being a threat, a victim could suddenly become an assailant if they retaliate.
“You can defend yourself and to a certain extent you can defend your property, but you can’t shoot somebody for stealing your gas,” said Dodds. “If the threat is over, you no longer have the right to defend yourself. People need to act responsibly and let us do our job.”
Westlock RCMP Staff Sgt. Al Baird echoed Dodds concerns.
“We never want to see someone put themselves at risk for property offences,” said Baird. “They put themselves and the public at risk. We know that people are frustrated with rural crimes, but we don’t advocate people taking matters into their own hands. We want them to call us.”
There will soon be more boots on the ground to combat rural crime. On March 9, justice minister Kathleen Ganley announced that the province is investing $10 million to address rural crime issues. The plan includes $8 million to hire 39 new police officers and 40 civilian staff and $2 million to hire more Crown prosecutors. Specially trained officers will be tasked with focusing on prolific offenders, based on a pilot project that has seen some success in other parts of the province.
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