Crime rates have skyrocketed in booming Penhold and RCMP say it's due in part to a messaging campaign launched last year that criminals were having it their own way because of lack of reporting from citizens.
“Before so much crime was going unreported. People knew about it but we didn't. It is like the old saying, ‘If we don't know if it's broke we can't fix it',” said Innisfail RCMP Staff Sgt. Chris Matechuk. “This gives us a true insight into where we have to focus our efforts.”
Matechuk said his detachment's statistics show that overall crime in Penhold has jumped 48.7 per cent in 2014 from the year before. The Innisfail RCMP's current stats were measured over one year from November 2013 to this month.
He said his detachment worked with the rapidly growing community just over a year ago with a goal of convincing Penhold citizens to start reporting crimes, as well as any suspicious activities.
“Last year when I did a full report crime had not increased significantly at all in the last five years. There was just minor single digit increases,” said Matechuk. “We were seeing people not reporting crime and lots of it went unreported, so our messaging has been to report crime before crime. That is partly why we are seeing significant increases in crime in Penhold.”
He said increased reporting by Penholdians is just one factor for the rise in crime rates. The other reasons, conceded Matechuk, are due to Penhold's rapidly increasing population and its close proximity to Red Deer.
“A lot of it is because of the good work our members are doing too,” he said.
Matechuk said property crimes in particular have experienced a dramatic increase over the past year, particularly those against businesses.
He said property crimes jumped 62.1 per cent this year over 2013, with the number of break and enters increasing from eight in 2013 to 21 so far this year. In 2013, the number of break-ins to businesses was three, compared to 13 in 2014. Matechuk said the rate for residential break-ins in 2014 has remained about the same as the year before.
With crimes against persons, such as assaults and robberies, Penhold's rate increased in 2014 by 26.1 per cent over statistics for the year before. Matechuk noted there were no robberies reported in 2013 but police have been called to four this year. He said there has also been a jump in the number of reported assaults in 2014, with 20 investigated by RCMP compared to 15 the year before.
Matechuk said the RCMP will continue to key on business break and enters, as well as on education for commercial property owners through the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) program that is based on the belief that proper design and effective use of built environment can lead to a reduction in crime.
He added increased patrols will also continue for Penhold but said there are no current plans to have a satellite office in town.
Meanwhile, Matechuk said there are similar increased crime rates for the rural areas under the detachment's jurisdiction. He said the detachment has initiated a similar messaging campaign there for residents and business owners to report crime.
However, he noted that while there are significantly increased crime rates for Penhold and the rural areas, Innisfail's have decreased.
Matechuk said Innisfail's overall crime decreased by 21 per cent in 2014 compared to statistics from 2013. He said break and enters have decreased by 63 per cent, with 73 reported in 2013, dropping to 27 this year. Matechuk added mischief to property went down 17 per cent, from 156 in 2013 to 129 in 2014.
