CHANGES TO TRAFFIC COLLISION REPORTING
Effective October 10, 2011, motorists will no longer be required to make a police report for collisions involving property damage only.

Only collisions involving the following must be reported to the police:

• Fatality
• Serious Injury (Meaning someone was admitted to hospital)
• Unlicensed Driver or Unregistered Vehicle
• Unidentified Vehicles (i.e. Hit & Run)
• Failure to Obtain Particulars From the Other Party
• Suspected Use of Drugs or Alcohol by the Other Driver

MPI will inform those reporting claims if they are required to report to the police.

A police report must be filed within seven days from when you are made aware that the collision meets the above criteria.  The report must be made in person at our office. Our office hours are Monday through Friday, during the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. You must bring your driver's licence and vehicle registration with you when you come in to make your report. Please be advised that the front office is closed on Statutory Holidays.

COMPUTER VIRUS SCAM
Police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center (CAFC) are warning that if someone calls you claiming to be able to protect your computer from viruses, your best bet is to just hang up the phone.  Do not give the caller access to your computer and do not provide your credit card information.

Please see this bulletin for more information regarding this scam.

For more information on how to protect yourself from frauds and scams, please refer to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website.

CHEQUE OVERPAYMENT FRAUD
This type of cheque scam could leave victims thousands of dollars out of pocket.

Here's how this scam works:  A person legitimately selling a product, most often a vehicle through an online advertising service, is contacted by a buyer who agrees to a purchase price.  The buyer mails a cheque for a larger amount than the agreed upon price (as much as $8,000 or more).  When the seller contacts the buyer about the mistake, the target of the fraud is told to wire back the excess once the cheque has cleared.  The victim, believing the cheque to be authentic when his or her bank accepts it, wires the money back. Then a week or so later, the cheque turns out to be forged and the con artist is long gone. The bank doesn’t cover the fraudulent cheque and the victim is out the amount of money they returned to the con artist.

If you have been contacted in such a manner, call your local police service.

For more information on how to protect yourself from frauds and scams, please refer to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website.

BEWARE...AND DON'T GET SCAMMED!  
Did you just win the big one...or are they trying to win big from you? 

Have you ever received a phone call in which a stranger congratulates you on your big win, yet you can't recall entering a contest, or don't understand why you would be "specially chosen for this offer"?

Well, it happens frequently and the ultimate goal for the caller is to separate you from your money, and not to make you rich as they would have you believe.

What do you do when you receive a phone call stating you have won the GRAND PRIZE, won something for next-to-nothing, or won something for nothing at all?

Telephone scams are not new, and have been around for years.  Scams will generally consist of the caller telling you that you have been specially chosen to win something, but that in order to receive your prize you will need to send money to activate their offer, or to pay for one to get four for free, etc.  Many times callers will insist on needing your credit card number for the same reasons.

Under no circumstances should you ever:

• provide your credit card number to an unknown source

• send money to an unknown source

• give out any personal information to anyone you don't know

The best position to take in these instances, is that when it sounds too good to be true, it is, and you should simply hang up.

For more information about how these scams work, and what you can do to recognize them, to protect yourself, and to help in the fight against these crimes, call The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or visit their comprehensive website.

Winkler Police Service Weekly Report from January 16^th to 22^nd

Total calls for service – 70

Criminal Code – 2
(theft, mischief)

Controlled Drugs and Substances Act – 1

Highway Traffic Act charges – 16

Motor Vehicle Accidents – 5

Assists – 29
(other agencies, general public, criminal record checks, etc.)

Lost and Found – 1

By- law – 4

Other – 12
(false alarm, 911 hang-up, fire, insecure premises, noise, disputes, information)

January 17^th
Upon request for assistance from a grade 12 law class student at Garden Valley Collegiate, Constable Carri Suderman worked together with him to prepare a presentation on the topic of forensics in police work.  Cst. Suderman presented on the history of forensics while the student presented on the various types of forensics used in police work.  The student’s responsibility also included preparing an exam for the class, based on the two presentations.

January 18^th
At 1:28 a.m. officers received a call from a tenant in a Royal Crescent apartment advising of a fire somewhere in the building.  All 5 suites of the building were evacuated while firefighters entered the building to investigate.  The cause of the smoke was determined to have come from a stove top where a pot of boiling wieners was left to boil after the tenant fell asleep.  The tenant was treated at the scene for mild smoke inhalation with all tenants allowed back in after it was deemed safe to do so by fire officials.

January 19^th
Officers were called to the Superstore during the morning hours to deal with a shoplifter arrested by their loss prevention staff.  The suspect, a 20 year old female, was earlier observed removing a number of cosmetic items from the shelf before proceeding to the deli area where she picked up a few food items.  She was then observed paying only for the food items.  Upon her arrest approximately $75.00 worth cosmetics were recovered from her handbag.  At that point the woman offered to pay for them, stating she had money to do so.  Investigation determined that the woman had no previous involvement with the law and as such was released on an Adult Police Caution.  The Superstore, in keeping with their policy also served the woman a banishment notice.

January 19^th
While on patrol of Winkler’s outskirts, officers noted a parked vehicle occupied by several males.  Upon approach of the vehicle the sun roof was noted to be open, and an odour of marijuana emanating from it.  One of the occupants was found to be in possession of a small amount of marijuana and admitted they were there for the purpose of “smoking up”.  The five males ranged in age from 18 to 20 years.  An 18 year old claimed the marijuana and drug paraphernalia were his.  He subsequently signed a relinquishment of claim for the items to be destroyed.  No charges were laid.

January 22^nd
A resident of Morningside Bay reported that sometime overnight, a vehicle left the roadway and drove across the boulevard portion of his front lawn, destroying a young tree in the process.  Investigation into this occurrence continues.