Parkland RCMP unveil latest crime trends for Stony Plain

STONY PLAIN -- Parkland RCMP say incidents of sexual assault and criminal harassment have risen in Stony Plain. 

Through the first two months of 2026, there were a total of eight sexual assaults reported in the township. This comes as there were only two incidents of sexual assault recorded in each of the same periods over the last three years. Parkland RCMP Detachment Commander Kevin McGillivray believes the increase is due to more victims coming forward.

"We've been averaging two the last three years, and then this past quarter we've had eight," said Insp. McGillivray. "I believe that we're connecting with victims a lot more than we've been able to in the past, so I think they are building rapport with people and making them more comfortable to come in and talk. I do believe that is the reason for that increase."

McGillivray also highlighted a rise in incidents of criminal harassment during January and February. He says that while the rise of these sorts of incidents is not exclusive to Stony Plain, it is a noteworthy crime trend that has been observed by police.

"People are different in 2026 -- just the way they react to things," said Insp. McGillivray. "It's almost becoming commonplace where they do criminal harassment or utter threats. A lot of that can be done online, or anonymously, or openly too. A lot of the increase in that are due to those reasons." 

He also notes a slight rise in vehicle thefts in Stony Plain through the first two months of the year. Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 29 of last year, there were six reported vehicle thefts, while during the same period this year, there have been eleven. Incidents of spousal abuse also rose significantly over the same period in 2025.

"In our policy, the spousal abuse coding is a wide range of things," said Insp. McGillivray. "It’s anybody that's in a relationship with somebody, and if there's any disharmony in that relationship, that's how we score it. It could be a child custody agreement where somebody didn't show up on time. If they phoned the police, that's also scored under spousal abuse." 

McGillivray alluded to the fact that a small number of couples can cause the spousal abuse stats to fluctuate year-over-year. In terms of policing priorities, it was noted by Sergeant Collin Kuca that the Parkland RCMP's drug unit is taking proactive measures to combat the illicit tobacco trade. Kuca says that the matter is impacting the ability of local retailers to be competitive.

"The average carton of cigarettes is anywhere from $160 to $185 a carton, and the people selling illicitly are selling it for anywhere from $20 to $50 a carton," said Sgt. Kuca. "So, you can see with such a big difference there, why it's becoming so popular."

He mentions that it's also diverting tax dollars away from programs that the money was previously used to fund.