While 2018 saw an overall decline in property crime in rural Alberta compared with 2017, the effort to keep farms and other rural properties safe from criminals must continue in 2019.
And while the RCMP will no doubt continue to make a concerted effort to target criminals, residents here will also need to keep up the fight.
In fact, as recent experience has shown, when stakeholders such as the RCMP and local community members work together to fight rural crime everyone benefits.
“In recent years, crime rates have been rising in rural Alberta,” said Al Kemmere, a Mountain View County councillor and president of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta Association. “The cause of this increase is complicated, and there are no easy solutions.
“Improving information-sharing amongst law enforcement agencies and rural Albertans is an excellent next step towards addressing this serious issue.
“We are pleased by the government of Alberta’s investment and commitment to working with rural municipalities, the RCMP and other partners to develop approaches to curb rural crime.”
For her part, Kathleen Ganley, minister of justice and solicitor general, says bringing stakeholders together to fight crime is proving itself to be worthwhile.
“All Albertans deserve to be safe in their homes and their communities,” said Ganley. “With help from our valued partners in the RCMP, we have developed a detailed plan to protect rural Albertans and their property.
"While there’s no single, easy solution to fix rural crime, our strategy puts several important tools in the crime-fighting tool box.”
Area residents interested in helping fight rural crime are encouraged to get involved with local rural crime watch associations and/or the local citizens on patrol groups in 2019.
And with a provincial election coming this spring, residents will expect all candidates running in this region to put forward detailed and comprehensive plans to keep residents safe from criminals who believe, wrongly, that they can target rural communities with impunity.
- Singleton in the Mountain View Gazette editor
