"It was a ton of sacrifice." That from Sergeant Chris Flook with the Morden Police Service who says officers spent hours outside of their regular shifts to bring Project Terminus to a conclusion.
The four-month investigation, which included the Winkler Police Service as well, yielded 11 arrests and the seizure of illicit drugs, firearms, cash and other drug paraphernalia between December 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025.
Sgt. Flook added, investigators also used any spare minutes during their shifts to follow leads. All of this, he agreed, speaks to their dedication to getting the job done and keeping their communities safe. "It showed for the results."
As mentioned in the initial report, the Joint Force Operation involved the Morden and Winkler police services, along with help from the Regional Support Tactical Team and Pembina Valley RCMP, and additional resources provided by Manitoba Justice and the Manitoba Criminal Intelligence Centre.
"We've learned over the years that crime doesn't stay just within the City of Morden or the City of Winkler, it always kind of transcends borders," said Sgt. Flook. "The only way for us to really combat that is to work together with neighbouring police services and put our resources and expertise together to create these teams of officers who are dedicated to investigating these types of incidents."
Sgt. Flook noted, the investigations seem to run smoother and become more successful each time the different agencies collaborate.
Meantime, Sgt. Flook says the result of Project Terminus speak to the fact that drugs and firearms crime is present in our communities.
"While we might not see it all the time, we do know that it is affecting citizens, and it is affecting people of different demographics within our communities."
He admitted, however, it's hard to tell how much of a dent this will make.
"We always see some sort of immediate impact but, unfortunately, as opportunities present themselves things kind of come back into play over time. We hope it's long-lasting, that's always our anticipating, but we never really know."