Small Cabin

Rural crime has communities taking matters into their own hands

Catherine Griwkowsky, Edmonton Journal, January 28, 2018

The days of waiting for the RCMP to be guardians and saviours are over in rural Alberta.

In Smoky Lake, Trevor Tychkowsky, president of the Alberta Provincial Rural Crime Watch Association, said more and more farmers are installing security systems and locking their doors.

“The days of having our places kept open and keys in vehicles, those days are done,” said Tychkowsky. “Criminals have come to figure that stuff out.”

As theft has steadily increased in Alberta, more and more security systems are being installed on rural properties, he added.

“That was unheard of before. It was pretty safe to have your toys and tractors with keys sitting right in them. Not anymore. That can’t happen,” said Tychkowsky.

...
An Integrated Crime Reduction unit was formed to tackle repeat offenders. In one case in 2017, RCMP arrested three people police say were linked to 300 calls for service before they were finally nabbed.
...

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/crime/rural-crime-has-communities-taking-matters-into -their-own-hands

Alberta RCMP changing tactics to address rural crime: commanding officer
By Sarah Kraus, Global News, December 26, 2017


It’s been called an epidemic and between the home invasions, robberies, ATM grabs, gas and dash’s and property thefts, rural Alberta had more than it’s share of crime in 2017.



" “There’s normally a small number of people that are responsible for a large portion of the crime that occurs within our respective communities,” Shean said. "




He said he is implementing an idea he’s used successfully in eastern Canada, right here in Alberta.

To start with, he’s investing more into the intelligence division.

“Be it property crime, and who’s impacting us there, or be it the more sophisticated organized crime that affects us here in the province, I really feel you can be innovative in how you attack crime, but first you need to understand it,” Shean said.

...
“We’re already seeing short-term results, but it’s going to take a little longer.”

https://globalnews.ca/news/3926191/alberta-rcmp-changing-tactics-to-address-rural-cri me-commanding-officer/

What's growing in rural Alberta? Rural crime, say residents visiting legislature

Emma Graney, Edmonton Journal, November 27, 2017

Mabel Hamilton used to talk to her neighbours about the weather. Now, conversations are all about local crime.

Her Innisfail-area home has been robbed twice over the past year, and two trucks stolen. Her dogs were able to thwart another pair of attempted robberies, scaring off the culprits as they tried to break in.

Hamilton and her husband are ranchers. They’ve been home each time.

“To be that bold — that’s the part that amazes me. We’re in the barn and they’re trying to get into our house,” Hamilton said Monday.

She was one of more than 100 rural Albertans who descended on the legislature to raise their concerns about what Hamilton called “rampant” crime in their communities.

Allan Erickson was another. He and his wife live just outside Spruce View, around 50 km southwest of Red Deer.

Their home was robbed twice within three days this summer.

Like Hamilton, Erickson said the constant topic of conversation in the coffee shop and at work these days is crime — who was broken into, whose vehicle was stolen.

“We’re having a hard time understanding what’s being done about it. It’s just not working. It’s epidemic proportions,” Erickson said.

..."

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/whats-growing-in-rural-alberta-rural-crime-s ay-residents-visiting-legislature

KIRO Radio 97.3 FM
@KIRORadio
Last night we captured surveillance footage of a vandal trying to break in to one of our employee's vehicles in our parking lot. While the suspect is still at large, we took the liberty to have John Curley give his play-by-play of the incident.
Feb 1, 2018

https://mobile.twitter.com/KIRORadio/status/959178992661221378/video/1

Thieves these days are hiding their faces because they are aware of all the hidden cameras out there.

I have two spypoint cellular trail cameras....they are the cats meow.

Are Fake Security Cameras Worth Using? | SafeWise


“They are easy to distinguish to the trained eye:While dummy cameras may fool amateur thieves, anyone with some experience will be able to pick out the fakes easily. For example, the blinking red light that every dummy camera seems to include is almost never found on real cameras. Details like this are a dead giveaway that the camera is fake. Rather than deterring experienced criminals, fake cameras may actually have the opposite effect—giving them confidence that you don’t have real security measures in place and that your home is safe to break in to.”

https://www.safewise.com/blog/are-fake-security-cameras-worth-using/