Maple Ridge RCMP's Strike Force Unit continues to make its presence felt over the past few weeks in our community. 

While typically involved in more plainclothes operations, some officers within the unit have recently undertaken more visible project work aimed at deterring and disrupting violent crime through proactive enforcement, condition checks, and targeted patrols.  

In the first few weeks, these officers generated 20 files, stopped 23 vehicles, executed 7 arrest warrants, and made 6 drug seizures and 3 weapons seizures.

Some of this activity involved stopping a vehicle where the occupants had prepackaged drugs, unstamped tobacco, and weapons on board including an airsoft gun and large knife. Other work involved following up a drug dealing tip and arresting two individuals for possession of a controlled substance. Large quantities of prepackaged fentanyl, crystal meth, and cocaine were seized along with cash and phones. 

Multiple known offenders were also identified and arrested with outstanding warrants along with others driving with prohibited driving notices. Assistance was provided to other police agencies on a number of high-priority multi-jurisdictional files as well. Officers even managed to quickly identify a prolific property thief after attending his residence and promptly retrieving a victim’s stolen ID cards within a short time of the offence.    

The community can expect to see these uniformed officers out patrolling our streets, complementing the work of our Frontline and Road Safety Target Team (RSTT), and those officers within our Crime Reduction Unit (CRU) conducting foot and bike patrols.

The public is reminded to report all crime and suspicious activity to our non-emergency number at 604-463-6251 or use our online crime reporting tool. This will assist us with prioritizing our calls for service and gathering as much information as we can on an issue.