By Sheldon Spackman

Central Alberta Crime Prevention Centre celebrates new van

Jun 28, 2018 | 2:36 PM

A local organization working to prevent and reduce crime in our community has received a boost from Parkland Funeral Homes.

The Central Alberta Crime Prevention Centre (CACPC) recently received a 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan donated by Parkland Funeral Homes in hopes of allowing the organization to expand and continue its programs and crime prevention services that it offers to Red Deer and surrounding communities.

It’s also anticipated the van will help promote five partner organizations which operate from the Crime Prevention Centre, including Alberta Provincial Rural Crime Watch, Central Alberta Crime Stoppers, MADD, Citizens on Patrol and Neighbourhood Watch.

Key donors recognized on the Crime Prevention van include Central Alberta Co-op which is donating fuel for the van, BrokerLink Insurance which is donating insurance for the van and G-Force Graphics which has donated the graphics and decals for the van.

CACPC Executive Director TerryLee Ropchan says the van will help brand their organization and give them a larger presence in the community.

2024 Spring Rocket League Tournament

St. Patrick's Community School Esports team wins top spot in national tournament

3h ago

update

Mistrial declared in case against Red Deer massage therapist

8h ago

Rev it!

City of Red Deer offers free decibel reading event this Saturday

8h ago

“It’s going to allow people to see that there is a Crime Prevention Centre,” states Ropchan. It’s very bold and bright, so as we’re out working in the neighbourhoods, people will start to see us and that way they’ll know that they have some resources.”

“The van itself allows us to be able to transport all of our stuff to the events,” adds Ropchan. “So whether that’s tents, tables, we’re very busy out in the community. Last year we did 72 events out in the community within central Alberta, so having this van makes it so much simpler to just load up and go and not use our personal vehicles.”

Ropchan says one thing they do for example is offer Crime Prevention Information packages.

“These are things that we would hand out at booths or at presentations,” explains Ropchan. “We also go out into neighbourhoods. If we hear about a neighbourhood that’s getting hard hit, usually through social media or when people call and tell us, we go out and try to canvas that neighbourhood, taking out our Crime Prevention packages and just trying to have conversations with residents.”  

“Whatever anybody is dealing with out in their neighbourhood, we probably have a program or a resource to be able to help them,” states Ropchan. “Maybe their area is getting hit with break and enters or thefts from vehicle, we have some information that could help them. Things like connecting to your neighbours, setting up neighborhood watch, thoe types of things bring neighbours together.”

Ropchan says Crime Prevention training is another service they offer in addition to random acts of kindness, parades and presentations.

“With that we do CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design), basic and advanced level training,” says Ropchan. “People can come and sign up for that, we do that in the spring and the fall each year. We also run a summer program and that’s probably the thing that people see the most from us is that we’re out in the community all the time.”

“People are typically not going to reach out and find us unless something has happened to them,” says Ropchan. “So we want to be more preventative. One of the ways that we can do that is if we go to you and that’s why we put such an emphasis on going out into the community. We want people to have access to all of this information.”