BOWDEN -- Town councillors are welcoming a new project by RCMP to create a crime mapping tool in communities throughout Alberta.
It will enable residents to view, through the Internet, where and when certain crimes are happening.
"It's a great idea," Coun. Kerry Kelm says. "The more information we get the better."
Only certain crime types and situations will be presented on the map:
* theft from a motor vehicle
* theft of a motor vehicle
* break and enter
* mischief
* missing people
Emergency situation flags would only be used in emergency situations for a very short time for incidents such as a school lockdown, an unfolding dangerous situation, a need for evacuation or a train derailment.
Plotted addresses will not be exact; a nearby intersection or street will be identified.
In a letter to Bowden council, Staff Sgt. Jim MacDonald, the commanding officer of Olds RCMP, extolled the virtues of the crime mapping.
"This project allows the RCMP to continue increasing inter-agency communication and sharing criminal intelligence with its partners," he wrote.
"It also encourages the public to participate in crime prevention strategies, such as reporting suspicious persons or activity, in an effort to be the extra set of eyes and ears for police in their communities."
"Hopefully this new tool will be up and running in the months ahead," he added.
Crime mapping began as a pilot project in St. Albert in early 2017 and has worked well, MacDonald said.
