RCMP release updated crime stats for Stony Plain

STONY PLAIN -- Overall criminal code violations in Stony Plain fell by 19 per cent over the first six months of the year.

According to Parkland RCMP, this reduction was primarily driven by a year-over-year decrease in property crimes. This included a decline in thefts under $5,000 and incidents of break-and-enter. This reporting period, which covered January to July, also saw a substantial drop in vehicle thefts. Detachment Commander Kevin McGillivray says the recent positive crime trends are a product of a more proactive approach to targeting prolific offenders throughout Stony Plain.

"The majority of crimes are committed by such a small portion of our population," said Insp. McGillivray. "My theory is that if we can target the folks who are committing the most crime in our areas, we should be able to reduce that crime. That's what we've done for the last couple of years, and I think we've had some success with that."

Despite the decrease in overall criminal code violations, incidents of extortion and criminal harassment have continued to rise throughout the Town of Stony Plain. For cases of criminal harassment, there were 51 incidents recorded during the first six months of 2026 compared to 34 during the same period last year. The number of extortion cases in Stony Plain also reached a five year high this year, driven by a number of different factors. 

"There are a couple of different extortions captured under this scoring," said Insp. McGillivray. "One of course is the Bishnoi Gang -- In Canada, we've seen a number of shootings in certain communities. People will also be defrauded online. They'll capture pictures of people in incriminating positions and try to extort money from them that way."

Incidents of disturbing the peace are down this year after reaching a five-year high in 2025, while there's also been a significant increase in roadside suspensions due to impaired driving.