OLDS — Town council recently ratified its policing priorities for the Olds RCMP detachment for 2024-25.
Crime reduction with a focus on property crimes is the first priority. Community engagement — be clear, accountable and transparent and encourage citizens to report all crimes — is the second. Mental health and violence in relationships — enhance awareness and education — is the third priority while promoting road safety is the fourth.
The list differs just slightly from a list suggested by administrative staff.
In a request for decision, administrative staff had listed the number 1 priority as being crime reduction, specifically property and person crimes.
However, when the matter came up for discussion during the March 11 council meeting, councillors agreed to drop “persons crimes” from that priority.
Councillors James Cummings, Heather Ryan and Dan Daley were absent.
Mayor Judy Dahl said earlier, Ryan and Cummings had called for the priority to just mention property crime, not persons crimes.
During the March 11 meeting, Coun. Wanda Blatz agreed with that idea.
“I did read this and the words specifically did kind of bother me, so I’m quite fine with just leaving it crime reduction – property crime,” she said.
Dahl echoed that point. “Yeah, that was my comment as well,” she said. “I couldn’t remember the words specifically being brought in.”
A request for council to set its annual policing priorities had come in a letter from Olds RCMP commanding officer Staff Sgt. Warren Wright. He had asked that they set those priorities by March 27.
The priorities were tentatively set during council’s March 4 meeting.
