Call it an early Christmas gift, maybe.

RCMP in the Battlefords are offering up rides to the detachment’s station and promising extra staff until 10 p.m. Friday to help people clear their outstanding warrants.

Cpl. James Fenrich said the offer is on the table to spare people from being in custody over the holidays. Seeing a justice of the peace between Christmas and New Year’s Day sometimes means a longer wait.

“If they wait until closer to Christmas when the justice of peace isn’t available, they may be held in custody. This saves them from missing out on the holidays,” Fenrich said.

“The fear is they’re going to sit in cells overnight. They can call the detachment from a phone — any phone they wish — and tell us who they are, and we can tell them what the series of events might be.”

He didn’t speak to exact numbers but said a number of outstanding warrants exist in the Battlefords area.