Throughout 2016, Niverville saw a rise in break-ins, stolen vehicles, and people rummaging through homeowners’ vehicles at night. What has truly caused a stir, though, was a machete assault at a home in Niverville just days into the new year.
Bob and Bonny Fehr have lived on Third Street South in Niverville for 19 years. On the evening of January 3, Bob heard noise coming from his garage and went outside to investigate. In the garage, he confronted three men, all wearing masks. One of them came at him with a machete.
“At first, Bob had no idea that he was injured,” Bonny says, remembering the scene as her husband returned to the house after the attack. “I went in to call 911. When asked if we needed an ambulance, Bob said no because he didn’t know he had been cut. Just as I declined, Bob noticed… that his hand was dripping with blood.”
Bonny says that when the attacker had raised the machete, Bob had put up his arm to defend himself.
“He spent a full day in the hospital and was treated for the gash on his forearm,” Bonny says. “Bob has since healed and is doing okay.”
But Bonny adds that this wasn’t the first time their home was targeted by thieves. “This was our second time being broken into,” she says. “Our garage was broken into before Christmas.”
The Community Responds
Two days after the incident, a local man organized a town meeting at the arena. Barry Piasta’s objective was to start a public discussion about proactive approaches to dealing with crime. More than a hundred citizens attended. Niverville Mayor Myron Dyck opened the meeting. Staff Sergeant Rheal Gravel of the St. Pierre RCMP detachment also attended to let citizens know about the ongoing investigation.
Several people at the meeting shared about misdemeanours that had happened to them. In most cases, these victims had posted details of the crimes to Facebook.
“There are a lot of times we [the police] cannot do anything, but that kind of info itself that you are supplying to us, whether it’s a guy in a red toque or a blue truck with half a license plate, that all goes inside our intelligence banks,” Gravel said. “Then we can piece that puzzle together. If you say nothing, we can do nothing.”
It was mentioned a few times that evening that no call is too small, whether it’s footprints in your backyard or a garage door that’s discovered open. The more calls that are made, the more often police will show up.
According to Mayor Dyck, Niverville currently pays between $200,000 and $300,000 for policing on an annual basis. When asked what it would take for increased patrolling, Dyck replied that the police budget would have to double—and that would mean an average property tax increase of $70–120 per home.
No decisions will be made by the town until February 8, the date when the 2016 census results are expected to be published. If the census shows that Niverville’s population has surpassed 5,000 residents, the town is required by law to increase its police presence one way or another.
“We have gathered information from other communities as to the police service they have and the budget they spend,” says Dyck. “We will continue to gather information after February 8 once we know which options are or are not available to us as a community. Once we have that information, council will determine the course of action for Niverville in regards to policing and then seek to deliver policing that is appropriate for a community our size both now and into the future.”
Three Suspects Arrested
In the meantime, the RCMP have made significant progress in their investigation into the machete attack.
On January 13, Tyler Kenneth Sawatzky and Jonah Daniel Wiens were arrested in Steinbach and charged in connection with the attack. Shortly thereafter, the third suspect, James Thomas Wiebe, was apprehended in Morden. All three men have been charged with robbery, break and enter, assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public, and disguise with intent.
Bob and Bonny Fehr say they were relieved when they heard that the suspects had been caught.
“We feel such gratitude to the RCMP for working so hard,” says Bonny.
Community Connectivity
After the arrests, Barry Piasta and fellow Niverville resident Michael Solonius spearheaded two further town meetings to talk with residents about what more can be done to ensure people’s safety. Piasta and Solonius have come up with a plan they call “Community Connectivity.” One part of this plan calls for people to install Honeywell security systems. Adam Jakab from Guardian Advanced Solutions also attended the second town meeting, held January 17 at the Heritage Centre, to talk about the way these Honeywell security systems work.
“The system messages us in real time and can message to others on the system,” Piasta explains. “With the layered net approach that we are creating, we can help law enforcement track and build a case from multiple sources.”
Prior to the most recent rounds of meetings, Piasta, Jakab, and a representative of Honeywell had a conference call to discuss how they could proceed. “We had a chance to ask questions from the top. We did not get a sales pitch, but rather a helping hand,” says Piasta.
The Honeywell security systems are being offered to residents in Niverville, New Bothwell, Île-des-Chênes, St. Adolphe, Ste. Agathe, and Grande Pointe at a discounted rate. Before the recent spate of break-ins, installing such a system would have cost $1,500 per home. However, the company is offering a special rate for homeowners in our region, reducing the cost to just $399. The system also includes a camera. So far, eight residents in Niverville have installed the system.
There will be more town meetings to come, advertised on Facebook and elsewhere. The goal of these meetings is to take a proactive rather than reactive approach to the current need. These meetings have resulted in several helpful tips to homeowners, which include keeping your outside lights on during the night, putting up Neighbourhood Watch signs, getting to know your neighbours, and locking your house and vehicle doors.
In the meantime, the Town of Niverville has reopened its RCMP satellite office as of January 23. The office will be open Monday to Friday from 1:15–5:00 p.m. An employee for this office has been training for the position since December.
“As to greater police presence,” Dyck explains, “what the office does is allow the RCMP detachment to have their members use the building as a home office instead of going to St. Pierre to complete what office tasks may need to be completed.”
Despite the apparent rise in crime, the Fehrs are still glad to be a part of this community. “It’s the people that live here that make a town/community a great place,” says Bonny. “We are so touched by all of the well wishes, thoughts, prayers, and help in sending in tips to help end the nightmare that happened. Thank you to everyone who is determined to make Niverville a great place to live.”
