Although $10 million in new funding for the fight against rural crime is a good step, more needs to be done on several fronts, says area MLA Jason Nixon.
The United Conservative Party (UCP) House leader and the MLA for Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre, Nixon has been working with police, rural crime watch groups and others to find solutions to the recent rise in property crime.
“We are excited to finally see some movement on this file by the government,” said Nixon. “We have been pushing in this issue for a while, and until recently we were unable to get the NDP to even take it seriously.
“My concern is that it appears that still the NDP are not out actually talking to people in our communities. Nobody from the NDP have been out talking to the community and I think they are missing some of the real key things that need to happen.”
The province recently announced the new funding as part of a seven-point plan, which includes the hiring of 39 new police officers and more civilian staff.
Provincial Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley said she hopes the new funding will help reduce rural crime.
“All Albertans deserve to be safe in their homes and communities. With the help of our valued partners in the RCMP, we have developed a detailed plan to protect rural Albertans and their property,” said Ganley.
“Rural police officers are part of their communities. They do difficult and extremely important work every day. I’m confident this plan will give our rural police officers more tools in their toolbox to fight crime.”
Todd Shean, Deputy Commissioner of the RCMP in Alberta, added: “The support represents a significant contribution to the safety of Albertans. This funding will enable us to greatly expand our crime-reduction efforts across Alberta and strengthen our criminal intelligence program.
“If you are committing crime in Alberta, we will identify you and we will stop you.”
Every RCMP district is equipped with a crime reduction team, which targets repeat offenders, including in the areas of break and enters, vehicle thefts and other property crimes, he said.
MLA Nixon says there are two areas in particular that the government should be focusing its efforts vis-à-vis rural crime.
“While we welcome any funding for police, the reality is that we’ve found out through our consultation process that there are not enough officers to fill those spots right now. There is still no answer on how that is going to be solved,” said Nixon.
There is also a need to keep more repeat offenders off the streets, he said.
“The number one issue we’ve heard when it comes to rural crime is the revolving door in the court system and we need the NDP to take that seriously,” he said.
“We need the NDP justice minister to get on the phone with the federal justice minister and start talking about Criminal Code reform, and in particular when it comes to property crime, which is not been taken seriously enough.”
Asked if he believes the rural crime situation has gotten to the point where landowners in the district may start taking the law into their own hands, he said, “I think people are frustrated and they are also scared. What has been taking place in some areas of rural Alberta is just unacceptable. People should feel safe in their own homes.”
Nixon says he plans to focus some of his efforts during the spring legislative session on rural crime.
“I continue to call on the NDP to come out and see our communities and start to talk to people on the ground so we can actually put in some longterm solutions to his problem,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nixon has come out in support of a motion being put forward by Alberta Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs regarding rural crime in Canada.
Motion 167 calls on the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security to assess rural crime rates and trends, examine RCMP policing, staff resources along with provincial and municipal partnerships in rural and remote communities across Canada, and provide recommendations, according to a press release issued March 14.
In calling for support for the motion, Nixon said, "Communities across Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre are among some of the hardest hit by the increase in crime that's plaguing rural Alberta. I wholeheartedly support Stubbs' motion and any efforts undertaken to understand and address the root causes of this very serious issue."
Stubbs called her motion a "crucial first step that will prioritize this urgent challenge federally and lead to action."
The motion is expected to be voted on during the spring session of Parliament.
