With newly formed multi-detachment RCMP units enjoying success in the fight against rural crime, area residents are encouraged to continue to do their part by reporting suspicious activities and persons to police, says Gerald Ingeveld.
“The reports from the local detachments have been pretty good,” said Ingeveld, the chairman of the Olds-Sundre-Didsbury Rural Crime Watch Association. “They have seen a significant drop in rural crimes now that they have these special crime units in place. We know they are getting good results in cleaning up things and crime is starting to slight back down.
“They say that 95 per cent of crime is committed by five per cent of criminals so (police) are learning who that five per cent are in the communities. The RCMP, with the help of he community, is identifying those folks.
“We are starting to see good work in identifying the repeat offenders.”
The association held its regularly scheduled meeting on May 30 in Mountain View County council chambers. Discussions at the meeting included a review of the RCMP new units’ activities, he said.
Having RCMP officers seconded from individual detachments to work on the units is proving successful, he said.
“Nobody can spare a whole detachment, but if you can borrow officers from three or four detachments and put them all into one detachment to target rural crime in that area, you get good results,” he said.
The association encourages residents to contact police directly to report on the identity of known criminals operating in the district, he said.
“We would instruct you to contact the RCMP with that information,” he said. “If you have information, call the RCMP directly.”
Association officers are pleased with any decline in rural crime, he said.
“We hope it is a trend and not just a little dip,” he said.
A steep rise in rural crime in rural Alberta last year prompted the formation of the specialized RCMP units.
