A range of files kept Altona Police busy in 2017, and drugs played a role in that.

According to the Altona Police Service annual report, drug-related offences increased by a total of 125 per cent this past year between the communities of Altona and Plum Coulee.

Police Chief Perry Batchelor says marijuana was part of the problem, but noted officers also saw a resurgence of Methamphetamine. He believes that drug had a hand in driving up local crime stats this past year.

The annual report indicates incidents of theft grew by 25 per cent, bike thefts were up 45 per cent and break-and-enters increased by 5 per cent in 2017.

"Those petty thefts are something that people could help us out with by locking their doors, locking their sheds, locking up their personal belongings and take away the opportunities from these folks that are simply looking for a few bucks to find that next hit," said Batchelor.

He added, "Methamphetimine is something that we're truly going to be working on in 2018 and hopefully clean up some of these problems."

Additionally, Batchelor said preparing for the upcoming legalization of marijuana was part of the department's training plan this past year. One officer is now trained as a Standard Field Sobriety Tester.

Meantime, the annual report presented a startling statistic around sexual assault cases this past year.

According to the numbers, there was an increase in sexual assault incidents - up from 6 to over 30.

"It's a terrible thing when someone is violated in this manner," said Batchelor. He pointed out that these were not blitz attacks on individuals but, in fact, all of the offences were committed by people known to the victims.

Batchelor added that officers were able to clear each of the files and lay appropriate charges.

As for reports of other assaults, that number was down 10 per cent from 2016.

Batchelor pointed out that, as part of the department's commitment to public relations, officers raised the issues of domestic violence and bullying during various appearances at area Jr. high and high schools.

When it comes to fraud stats however, those numbers are a bit misleading.

According to the annual report, cases of fraud were down from just over 25 in 2016 to about 10 in 2017.

Batchelor explained that number isn't accurate because in 2016 police were recording both complaints and victims of fraud, and since the implementation of a new reporting system (PROS) police now only keep records of the victims. He added that complaints of possible scams and frauds continue to filter into the office every day and noted there were 8 victims of fraud this past year.

Meantime, 2017 signified the third year that the Altona Police Service operated under a strategic plan.

While he said the department met several goals that were laid out in the plan, Batchelor admitted that there is still work to be done.

One of the highlights from the past year was the implementation of a Curfew Check Program, which Batchelor said is working quite well.

"What we've found is that the curfew checks are an essential part of an offender's probationary period and if we didn't have something more structured, (these checks) maybe were missed."

Another new effort in 2017 was having a probation officer work out of the APS office a few times a month. Batchelor noted this set up has helped keep warrants down to a minimum.

"Very often people haven't got the ability to get themselves to Morden. Our probation officer by being here, sometimes helps with transportation shortfalls," he said.

When it comes to the goals that have been laid out for department in 2018, Batchelor said the aim is to move forward and allow for improvement.

"There's always problems that need our attention and there's always the opportunity to do more outreach," he added.

Meantime, Batchelor noted that APS was able to boast another year with a full compliment of officers.