By Kevin Gilby

CRAIK — Scheduled to coincide with the National Police Week, members of the Craik RCMP Detachment hosted an open house of their barracks in Craik.

Over 200 people passed through the station to learn about victim services, visit with RCMP members from the detachment and district, and witness a police dog training exercise.

Established in 1970, Police Week serves to connect the community with the RCMP as well as increase awareness about the services the RCMP provide.

“It’s an opportunity for us to give back to the communities we police, “ said Sgt. John Ermel. “To build new relationships and foster old ones.”

A barbecue was planned to raise money for Victims Services, a non-profit provincially funded organization that Ermel holds in high regard. The organization exists to help support victims immediately after a crime or tragedy throughout the criminal process.

Until recently, cities of Moose Jaw and Saskatoon, as well as communities served by the Craik detachment were without coverage for Victims Services. Approximately two years ago, the provincial government mandated coverage be provided for all of the province and new regions were created to fulfill that goal.

Attending the barbecue, and representing the newly formed Sask Central Victim Services region based in Martensville, was co-ordinator Sheri Watkins who discussed all of the services provided by the organization. The region, incorporated in 2014, currently only staffs Watkins but she hopes to have a complement of three additional employees as the organization ramps up.

With 14 years exposure to the service’s involvement in helping victims of crime, and three years serving on the board of directors in Regina, Ermel recognizes the importance of the work provided by Victims Services and wanted to help Watkins recruit volunteers and raise necessary funding to help establish the new region.

Among the services provided are victim’s compensation and restitution as well as support for victims and witnesses throughout their involvement with the criminal justice system. It’s a high priority for the organization to aid children/youth and other vulnerable witnesses by preparing them for court appearances, accompanying victims in court, and advocated on victim’s behalf to make the process a less traumatic experience.

While discussing the programs offered, Watkins emphasized the importance of finding dedicated volunteers throughout her region that make it possible. After an RCMP criminal background check, prospects are given an expense paid 40-hour training program before they become active volunteers.

People wishing to volunteer to work with Victims Services are encouraged to obtain an application form at the Craik RCMP detachment office or by phoning Sheri Watkins at 306-361-9111.

Four members of the RCMP Police Dog Training Service were at Craik where the handlers performed training within the community with two police dogs before joining the open house to demonstrate training exercises in front of an impressed crowd.

Ermel said that they “couldn’t do their job fully without them.” The dogs help locate missing people, evidence, and diffuse situations where officers or members of the public are at risk. Dogs are routinely sent in first to flush out or locate aggressive people that may be attempting to hide within dwellings or natural environments.

Craik and District Lions held a homemade pie fundraiser. With approximately 50 pies donated, the Lions were able to raise over $450 towards their 50th anniversary in the community celebration scheduled for July.

In addition to the barbecue, Ermel is also working to increase public presence in other ways. He is organizing a golf tournament with the Davidson firefighters this summer as well as setting up a monetary and recognition award for local students of the three schools served by the detachment who are planning a future career in the Police Sciences or Human Justice fields.

By Kevin Gilby

CRAIK—According to the Craik RCMP, several vehicles and a residence were broken into during the early morning hours of April 2.

Some community members woke to the sight of two vehicles abandoned in a farmer’s field near the west edge of Craik while others had the misfortune of seeing their vehicles contents tossed about.

In total, at least six unlocked vehicles were entered with contents moved about in an apparent search for valuables. Two other vehicles where stolen only to be abandoned just outside town limits in a field.

In addition, a private residence was illegally entered and a Town of Craik storage shed was broken into.

One community member observed suspicious activity around 3 a.m. on April 2 but did not report it to the RCMP until it was later discovered that that person’s vehicle was “rummaged” sometime during the night. The victim gave the RCMP a description of two young adult males observed during the night that may have been involved in the theft(s).

RCMP Const. Ian Smith said that the RCMP cannot confirm if any or all of the break-ins and car thefts are related and an investigation remains active.

Smith advised everyone, “If you like it, lock it.”

The public is asked to contact the Craik RCMP at 306-734-5200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) if they have any information about this or any other crime.

Someone occasionally knocks on the upstairs wooden floorboards at the Old Town Hall building during the Craik’s Farmer’s Market, but only an empty room is found whenever a curious person puts down their coffee to go up and see who it is.

The patrons and workers of the Market, which is located on the first floor of the Old Town Hall building every Friday from May to the end of September, believe no one has found anything because Oscar is making the noise. Oscar is the ghost that can be heard every now and again playing in the old second floor dancehall.

“Every once in a while you can hear him walking around up there banging on things,” said Doug Androsoff after he had just settled down for his usual Friday morning coffee at the Farmer’s Market. “They say across the street the building that was in that lot was a hardware (store), but the backend of it used to be the mortuary at one time. There is talk about ghosts from the mortuary moving upstairs here when that building got torn down.”

Androsoff described the sound as either a child bouncing a basketball on the wooden floorboards upstairs or a piece of siding flapping against a wall. He said the problem with concluding the latter is the flapping noise occurs whether it is windy or not.

Pauline Dixon, a regular patron at the Farmer’s Market, said Oscar first started making noise at the Old Town Hall about four or five years ago when the neighbouring and nearly century-old hardware and burial preparation building owned first by Ernest Insull and then George Gower was demolished. She said the ghost must have needed a “place to be” after that happened and the majority of the regulars at the Farmer’s Market have no problem with the bit of noise he makes at his new haunt.

“Some people are scared,” said Dixon, noting one customer at the Market seemed a little frightened when he was told a ghost lurked upstairs. “But I’ve never been scared.”

Dixon said no one has actually seen the ghost, but as far as they can tell Oscar makes his home around the old ticket booth room that is situated right above the Market space. She said there is no heat and water pipes on the second floor of the building, so there has to be another explanation for the rapping.

“I’m so used to it,” said Cindy Jaremicki, who regularly sells baking goods at the Market, about the noise. “It’s usually pretty much every Friday you hear him at least once (and) sometimes more. (It’s) usually earlier in the morning you hear it more, but then it’s quieter in here. When it’s noisy here you might not notice it, but it does happen later in the day too.”

Jaremicki said nobody has specifically gone looking for Oscar, but people have tried to find an explanation for the banging sounds and can’t come up with any. She said even though the ghost hasn’t seemed to attract any more patrons to the normally bustling Market it has at least added to the conversion around the coffee table.

“I’ve heard him from in here and from in the library (located in the room next to the Market),” said Androsoff, noting he has no idea how the ghost got to be named Oscar. “He does it whether there is many people around or not. It’s a mystery.”