Winnipeg police, RCMP launch most wanted website to track down people wanted for violent crimes

October 8, 2024 Canuck

A new website will let members of the public see some of the people most wanted by police in Manitoba.

The Winnipeg Police Service and RCMP have launched the Manitoba’s most wanted website in hopes of finding some of the people the Manitoba integrated violent offenders apprehension unit is searching for.

The people on Manitoba’s most wanted list are accused of homicides, aggravated assaults, firearms offences and “crimes that quite frankly caused immeasurable suffering and hardship,” Winnipeg Police Service Insp. Jennifer McKinnon said at a Tuesday news conference announcing the initiative.

So far, the online list includes 10 people wanted by police, but that number is subject to change as the unit continues to search and post about criminals wanted across the province.

“By centring the attention of Manitobans on these featured and wanted individuals, we are highlighting that it’s just not the police looking for them, but an entire province,” RCMP Insp. Shawn Pike said at the police conference.

“We are telling these individuals that their days of hiding in the shadows are coming to an end.”

Pike said social media has been a powerful tool in tracking down wanted individuals for years. Last year, Mounties were able to directly link 43 arrests made back to information shared on social media, he said.

Rob MacKenzie, the chair of Winnipeg Crime Stoppers, said the organization is offering enhanced rewards for information that leads to an arrest of someone on the most wanted list.

Tips sent to Winnipeg Crime Stoppers have led to the arrests of 65 people this year, and the organization is hoping to double or triple these numbers with the public’s help, he said.

Unit targets ‘people who are terrorizing Manitobans’

The violent offenders unit — a multi-agency unit introduced by the former Progressive Conservative government in 2022 — has arrested 480 serious or violent offenders since it began operations in May last year, including 264 arrests in the first three quarters of this year, McKinnon said.

Of the people arrested since last May, 86 per cent were either on bail, probation or parole, and 27 per cent were known to police as gang members or associates, she said.

“By identifying and removing these individuals from our neighbourhoods, the efforts of the violent offender apprehension unit help restore collective feelings of safety,” said McKinnon.

The violent offenders unit, which consists of 12 officers — six Winnipeg police officers and six RCMP — has executed a total of 681 warrants in an effort to locate and apprehend violent offenders evading police, she said.

Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said police have made significant strides through the program, which he said targets “people who are terrorizing Manitobans and those who are exploiting our most vulnerable citizens.”

The unit will continue to receive $3 million in provincial government funding annually as part of the government’s efforts to address community safety issues associated with repeat offenders, Wiebe said.

Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham encouraged people to report any information they may have about anyone wanted for a violent offence to contact Crime Stoppers, RCMP or Winnipeg police.

“Every arrest made, every warrant executed, contributes to making our neighbourhoods safer for everyone, but we can’t achieve this alone,” Gillingham said.

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