Alberta sheriffs shut down problem property in Lethbridge

The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act (SCAN) portion of the Alberta sheriffs has closed a Lethbridge home pursuing complaints of cause activity.

For the 3rd clip successful 2024, the SCAN portion boarded up a Lethbridge home, this clip aft implicit 3 years of investigating

“This probe began successful aboriginal 2021. SCAN received the archetypal of 5 complaints regarding the activities that occurred astatine this property,” said Mike Dirkson, manager of the Alberta sheriffs SCAN portion successful confederate Alberta.

A neighbour who wanted to explicit their reaction, but was besides wanted to stay anonymous, says the erstwhile fewer years person been terrifying.

“The location has been without utilities. The location has caught connected fire. There has been an overdose death… We person lived successful fearfulness without adjacent realizing it. The spot is retired of power and has deplorable surviving conditions.”

While the archetypal concerns started successful 2021, Dirkson says a shutdown cannot hap overnight.

“(A) SCAN probe does instrumentality rather a spot of time. The investigations are analyzable and we bash enactment intimately with different agencies. So, accumulating that grounds and bringing it to the constituent wherever we person capable for a assemblage information order, that does instrumentality a batch of time,” Dirkson explained.

“That is besides connected the grounds that we’re seeing astatine a property. We request to beryllium comfy and assured successful what we’re seeing successful bid to instrumentality this step.”

He says astir occupation properties tin beryllium remedied without this level of intervention.

“It is rare… this is our 129th closure of a spot retired of implicit 8,800 investigations,” said Dirkson.

For the neighbour, this closure is equivalent to Christmas coming early.

“The contiguous assemblage is highly grateful that SCAN tin clasp undeserving location owners accountable.”

As for Dirkson, the information this is the 3rd location that required closing successful 2024 is not a concern, but a motion of constabulary managing to halt crime.

“I don’t deliberation it’s an alarming stat, I deliberation it’s a reflection, archetypal off, of the enlargement that SCAN has seen successful the past year. This November marks the 1 twelvemonth that the confederate Alberta SCAN portion based successful Lethbridge has been operational,” Dirkson said.

“So, that’s seen an accrued quality for SCAN investigators to tackle occupation properties passim confederate Alberta.”

The assemblage information bid obtained by SCAN volition enforce further conditions connected the home, located on Eagle Road successful northbound Lethbridge, until November 2026.