MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - Members of the Olds Rural Crime Watch Association (ORCW) continue to work closely with their stakeholder partners to protect property, help identify crime activity trends, and ensure offenders pay for their crimes, said chairman Jason Leach.
“I think we have a great working relationship with police detachments in the area and with both Mountain View and Red Deer counties,” said Leach. “We work together to let people know what’s going on, and that’s key for us.
“As a rural crime watch association we are in the community and we see what is going on and we know when something looks out of the ordinary. That’s the value we add to the community.”
ORCW held its annual general meeting at the Bergen Hall on March 21, with about 25 people in attendance.
The meeting saw the election of board members and comments from enforcement officers, government officials and others.
All 2023 board members were re-elected for another year. They are chairman Jason Leach, vice-chair Vern Didyc, past chair Gerald Ingeveld, secretary Shelly Ingeveld and member-at-large Traceyann McAuley Mailer.
The association’s stated purpose is to “provide resources and to work with local RCMP, Fish & Wildlife officers, and other enforcement agencies to identify suspicious activity or unlawful activities and to report these occurrences to the appropriate officers for enforcement.”
ORCW members include individuals and businesses in the Olds, Sundre, Bowden, Torrington, Carstairs and Didsbury areas, including the West Country.
Members use cellphones, email, texts and social media to broadcast information warning of concerns such as a suspicious vehicles, individuals passing fraudulent cheques or counterfeit currency, stolen property, missing individuals, and watch-out notices.
They are also share police bulletins regarding crimes in the district, advising members to report sightings to the police.
During the annual general meeting, various stakeholders spoke about the importance of working together to combat crime concerns in the area.
Olds RCMP detachment commander Staff Sgt. Warren Wright said ORCW members continue to be helpful in addressing crime.
“The way the rural crime watch system is now is really based on communication,” Wright said. “We will pledge to continue to work extremely hard on communication with ourselves and rural crime watch to ensure that you get information as fast as we possibly can. We look forward to moving forward with you.”
Sundre RCMP Const. Kirill Alyakna said police welcome information from ORCW members about suspicious activities and vehicles, including around industrial and commercial sites in the West Country.
“I assure you that all calls that come into Sundre RCMP are taken seriously,” he said.
Mountain View County Coun. Jennifer Lutz said, “We have always been a strong supporter of rural crime watch and we are happy to support this important organization.”
Darren McInnes, Sundre Fish and Wildlife officer and sheriff, said having ORCW members observing activities in the West Country is always helpful.
ORCW past chair Gerald Ingeveld spoke about the ongoing work of Sundre Citizens on Patrol, which sees members patrol in the town and surrounding area to spot and report suspicious individuals and vehicles to police.
“If there is something we see that is suspicious we can call it into the Sundre RCMP detachment, and if there is an emergency that we see we can call 911,” he said.
He encouraged association members to consider joining Citizens on Patrol.
Red Deer County peace officer Brad Olsen also spoke during the meeting.
Started in 1981, the association is always looking for new members and anyone interested can find information on the group’s website or its Facebook page, said Leach.
