Tignish council applauds increase in RCMP presence

Mayor believes drivers are slowing down

After months of insisting his town has not been getting the amount of police protection it is paying for, Mayor Allan McInnis acknowledged at a recent council meeting he has seen a dramatic improvement in RCMP presence in Tignish.

“My hat goes off to you people. You’re doing what I had expected you to do for quite a while,” he said in relaying his praise through Staff Sergeant Derek Hewitt, who was on hand to provide the town’s policing statistics for the month. Hewitt reported officers issued 13 tickets for speeding, eight for non-moving traffic violations and two for not wearing seatbelts during the month of March. There were also 12 written warnings issued and four checkpoints conducted during the month. He noted he made a traffic stop while en route to council’s April meeting.

“I’m sure you’ve seen a difference around at least as far as traffic goes,” Hewitt said. Councillors agreed they have. “I have constituents talking to me now and saying, ‘what a great difference it has been in the last few weeks.’ They seem to think the speeders are slowing down, that they never know when the RCMP are going to be in Tignish,” the mayor commented.

“They know you’re up here,” said Coun. Angel Murphy, who wondered if this type of presence will continue. Hewitt said the schedule now requires officers to conduct at least one traffic day per shift rotation.

McInnis chuckled that one resident thanked him for his speeding ticket.

“I didn’t charge you, did I?” was his response to the resident. “He said, ‘No, but the RCMP officer who charged me told me, compliments of the Tignish mayor.’”

“I’ve got wide shoulders, so I will take the load,” McInnis commented.

S/Sgt. Hewitt said the increased traffic enforcement is in keeping with a policing priority identified by the community.