Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Rae/Edzo (Aug 28/00) - Shorthanded Rae RCMP found themselves stretched to the limit after a hectic weekend that included two stabbings.

The North Slave detachment's two officers were busy with 45 complaints, locking up 26 prisoners in cells and dealing with two separate stabbings between Aug. 18 and 20.

"If I had any hair I'd be pulling it out," Sgt. Mark Wharton said late last week.

"The last couple of shifts have been fairly quiet and we're looking forward to September when things start slowing down again."

The detachment, which normally has four members, deals with 15 to 20 complaints and locks up fewer than 10 people in cells on an average weekend.

The detachment has been short staffed since January.

"I'm not really sure why it was so busy (Aug. 18 to 20)," Wharton said. "We had a liquor prohibition here during the (annual Dogrib Assembly the previous weekend) so maybe people were making up for it a bit.

"But that's a subjective perception. There was nothing special going on."

The Yellowknife RCMP is also short five officers but Staff Sgt. Terry Scott said with 24 members on the streets, the vacancies are less noticeable.

"In the community the size of Rae, being two short is significant," he said.

Wharton and a constable were called out to several serious situations, including three sexual offenses and two stabbings.

"The ambulance guys were called out to a party and once they realized it was a stabbing they wanted to find the knife and we were also called out to make sure they were safe," Wharton said. In that Aug. 19 incident, a female was stabbed in the back and medevaced to Stanton Regional Hospital in Yellowknife.

She has since been released and an adult male was arrested.

The second stabbing occurred at an Aug. 20 house party where a male victim was stabbed in the back. RCMP arrested an adult female in connection with the incident.

The victim was also medevaced to Stanton hospital and has since been released.