Yellowknife (Oct 04/06) - Police received 298 calls for service last week, up about 100 from the week before.

The cause for the large increase in calls is unknown, say RCMP.

Police often receive more calls if there is a large event taking place or if there are many visitors in Yellowknife, said Const. Roxanne Dreilich, but in this case the calls did not seem to be connected to any one thing.

"Some can be attributed to reporting," she said, "as people are more inclined to call when the weather turns colder."

Const. Dreilich said that often people are hesitant to call when faced with a suspicious situation.

"They think it might be nothing, but we appreciate every call," she said. "It is a preventative measure."

Colder weather may have contributed to a higher number of alcohol-related calls, which were up by about 50 last week, said Dreilich.

"People are more inclined to call for the safety of the person when it's starting to turn colder," she said of calls regarding public drunkenness.

Crack in the ceiling

Marijuana and crack cocaine were seized by police after a maintenance person found the drugs in ceiling tiles of a local apartment building.

There was enough marijuana for two to three joints and about 30 small rocks of crack-cocaine.

Police did not release the name of the apartment building.

"It has not been associated with anyone," said Const. Dreilich, of the investigation so far. The drugs were destroyed by police.

Thwarted king crab theft

A 32-year-old man nearly made away with a stolen catch of the day, last week.

The man walked into the Extra Foods grocery store on Old Airport Road Sept. 26 without a jacket on, according to police.

He proceeded to steal a new jacket and place two bags of king crab legs in it.

He made his way from the store but was observed on a security camera. Police caught up with him, after being called by a store employee.

"The jacket was found. The crab was not," reported Const. Dreilich. The man is scheduled to appear in court, Nov. 21.