By rdnewsNOW staff

RCMP, province say plan to fight rural crime is paying off

Sep 4, 2018 | 12:35 PM

AIRDRIE — The Alberta government and RCMP say efforts to fight rural crime in the province have paid off.

Property crimes excluding fraud, mischief and arson fell 11 per cent between January and July in rural detachments.

A crime reduction strategy launched earlier this year involves focusing on repeat offenders and crime hotspots.

 “We made a commitment to Albertans and we are delivering on that commitment. Midway through the first year of implementing our Crime Reduction Strategy, property crime is down across the province,” said Todd Shean, Deputy Commissioner and Commanding Officer, Alberta RCMP. “As the rural police force of Alberta, we are committed to ensuring this trend continues in every category in every community throughout Alberta.” 

The Alberta government announced a $10 million plan in March to fight rural crime as it hit a five-year high. The money went to hiring more RCMP officers in rural areas, civilian support staff and Crown prosecutors.

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“The rural crime reduction strategy is working. In the six months since we announced $10-million in funding for a seven-point action plan, RCMP have recorded a noticeable decrease in property crimes,” said Kathleen Ganley, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General. “I want to thank our valued partners in the RCMP for their hard, and important, work. We’ll continue to support the RCMP and our police partners to help ensure Albertans live in safe and secure communities, no matter where they call home.” 

Crime reduction units have made more than 500 arrests with more than 1,600 charges laid since February.

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Numbers released by Alberta RCMP regarding their Crime Reduction Strategy include:

– 648 fewer motor vehicle thefts in Alberta this year compared to last year

– 366 fewer break and enter incidents in Alberta this year compared to last year

– 2,358 fewer thefts in Alberta this year compared to last year

– From January to July of this year, property crimes excluding fraud, mischief and arson, in all Alberta RCMP detachments have decreased nine percent compared to the same period last year. These crimes in RCMP’s rural detachments for the same period have decreased 11 percent.

– For the month of July, compared to the same month last year, property crimes excluding fraud, mischief and arson, have decreased 17 percent. In RCMP rural detachments, these crimes have decreased 25 percent during the same period.

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(With file from The Canadian Press)