A marked decrease in overall crime levels in rural Alberta over the past 12 months is goods news for communities across the region.
According to statistics released last week, crime in rural districts has dropped by more than 10 per cent, with a combination of new police initiatives and ongoing work by rural crime watch groups and individuals being credited.
Whether the encouraging trend will continue over the next 12 months remains to be seen. What is known is that the multi-stakeholder fight against rural crime has so far proven to be markedly successful.
Work done by police in newly-formed dedicated anti-rural crime units has been instrumental in curbing the very troubling rise in rural crime seen in recent years, says Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley.
“In my view, this sort of proactive policing is exactly what we should be doing,” Ganley reportedly said. “It’s certainly what our experts at the RCMP are telling us. And I think that is having a real, meaningful impact.”
The dedicated units are part of the larger Alberta RCMP Crime Reduction Strategy (CRS), which Ganley says is a “comprehensive, intelligence-led approach to policing involving targeting of repeat offenders, crime hotspots and prevention initiatives.”
According to the newly-released CRS report card, over the past year rural property offences have decreased 11 per cent, there were 648 fewer stolen vehicles, 366 fewer home break-ins, more than 2,300 fewer thefts under $5,000, and 644 fewer possession of stolen goods offences.
While it is encouraging to see the new police units having success in rural communities, the ongoing work of volunteers in rural crime watch associations and citizens on patrol groups also remains vital.
As such, area residents are encouraged to join and support the local crime watch organizations that are doing such great work for the community at large.
The recent success of those fighting rural crime is great news for law-abiding citizens across the province – and bad news for criminals who had it their own way for far too long.
Dan Singleton is the Mountain View Gazette editor.
