Awareness
The past year has been extremely difficult for many people. Job loss and unstable economic times does effect crime rates in our community. A global crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic has created stressful situations for many people. Unfortunately, this could lead to an increase in small, petty theft and its frequency. Awareness is an important part of crime prevention. Protecting Alberta’s rural communities is a collective responsibility. Together, with local RCMP detachments, we create strong awareness and a presence of the law to help reduce crime.
Tips on keeping your home safe!
Education is your best defense. Avoid becoming a victim of these types of crimes. Thieves look for easy targets, keeping your home secure makes it harder to access. Here are some practical tips to keep your home safe:
1) Keep your home secure and always locked, including garages, vehicles and sheds. Invest in a security system. Ideally, one that has off-site monitoring that will be alerted if a possible security breach occurs. Remember to change your passcodes regularly
2) Thieves work easiest in the dark. Make sure you have plenty of exterior lights, including motion-activated systems. Keep your driveway and entryway well-lit.
3) Walk around your house and think like a burglar, check all entry points such as doors and windows. Think about ways to make them more secure. Look for areas outside where a burglar might be able to hide, such as large shrubs and trees.
4) Avoid displaying collectables or other valuables items where they are easily visible from outside. Do not underestimate simple but effective items such as padlocks, window bars, anything that will deter a thief.
5) Get to know your neighbours and watch out for each other. If you are away, create an illusion of occupancy. Use timers for interior lights and motion lights outside. Also, have someone you trust check on your house. If you are away for an extended period of time, have someone mow your grass or shovel the snow to give the illusion that someone is home.
Friendly Reminders
Report crime online!
The RCMP are encouraging all Albertans to report eligible crimes online (select property crimes under $5,000). Reporting less serious crimes online helps emergency dispatch and frontline members focus their time on high-priority calls. It provides a convenient way to share photos to the RCMP as well. These reports assist in crime analysis, aid in establishing trends and patterns, and ultimately leads investigators to the chronic offenders. It also assists in making decisions about how and where to deploy resources. Crimes reported online will be taken just as seriously as crime reported in any other way.
Help reduce crime, report online! #ReportSmart
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February 04, 2021