OLDS - Area residents experiencing or witnessing select property crimes under $5,000 are being encouraged to make use of the RCMP online crime reporting platform, said Olds RCMP Const. Morley Statchuk.
Since being launched in May 2020 the platform has been widely used in urban centres across the province, and now police are asking more rural residents to also consider making use of the system.
The platform can be used to report theft under $5,000, theft from vehicles under $5,000, lost property, or damaged and mischief to property under $5,000. Photos of stolen or missing items can be posted through the system.
Information gathered with the online platform can help police in several ways, including helping identify and target chronic offenders, he said.
“The more information we get the better,” said Statchuk. “Sometimes we may have individuals who don’t think it’s important to report because it’s a minor loss, but we do run analysis and it can show trends. And that can lead us to the piece of the puzzle that we need to help solve a file.”
Reporting minor property crimes can also help with the recovery of stolen items and their return to rightful owners, he said.
Reports made through the system are handled with the same priority as crimes reported in other ways, such as in person at detachments.
Anyone interested in reporting eligible crimes using the online platform can do so at ocre-sielc.rcmp-grc.gc.ab/alberta/en.
Since being introduced last year, the online platform has handled 780 calls for service provincewide.
There are crimes and situations that should still be reported to detachments, including if there is a witness or suspect, if there are lost or stolen items involving personal identity or firearms, or if there are lost or stolen licence plates or decals.
“If there is a witness or suspect, we need to do a more in-depth investigation (and) we are probably going to ask more detailed questions,” he said.
Emergencies should still be reported through 911.
