The Goodridge area has become the setting of a spike in theft over the past few months, forcing the community, along with Bonnyville RCMP, to organize a meeting on Friday night to talk about the issue, and discuss ways to work together to rectify the situation.
According to RCMP present at the meeting, theft has increased in the rural area of Goodridge, but people from the St. Lina, McRae and Sugden areas also made up the crowd of about 80 people that attended the Friday night meeting to ask RCMP questions about how thefts are being committed and what they can do to protect themselves from becoming a victim.
A local attendee who says he has been able to avoid several attempted robberies at his home explained that many people in the community have suspicions about who is committing the thefts, and resident believe that the crimes have become organized.
“The same group of people has come back to my yard five times. They seem to have a system worked out with a large group of people involved, and so far it’s working for them,” said the resident, who was at the meeting, but chose not to be named when speaking on the issue.
Const. Jeff Rosom of the Bonnyville RCMP detachment was in attendance at the meeting, and he says there are a number of things that people can do to protect themselves and help each other out.
“We’re looking into working closely with the community, hopefully get some information flowing between the members and the community, and use that information with investigative techniques that we’ve learned over the years.”
Some community members at the meeting questioned why St. Paul RCMP representatives were not at the event, considering the County of St. Paul and M.D. of Bonnyville boundary lies very close to Goodridge, and the increase in theft has been noted by residents in both municipalities.
“We planned this meeting and it quickly became something bigger than I originally thought it was going to be, so I didn’t get the chance to invite St. Paul RCMP here, otherwise I’m sure they would have attended,” said Rosom. He added that although there are challenges in working with other jurisdictions, there are “systems in place for these situations and are prepared to work together on this issue.”
Residents are expressing concern that thieves are becoming more confident, allegedly stealing items, such as trucks, in broad daylight.
Members of the crowd expressed worries about potentially being the victim of a civil lawsuit if something happens to the thieves while on their property, such as a dog protecting the property.
A resident from the McRae area expressed this concern since she is a dog breeder and has two dogs to help keep her property safe. The RCMP members advised those people to contact a lawyer, as officers cannot comment on civil lawsuit matters.
Rosom presented several different options to the community members on how they can protect themselves and others.
“The best course of action is to document all of your property - take pictures, collect serial numbers. That will make it a lot easier for us to return stolen goods once they are found.”
Also, “It’s important for citizens to always report any suspicious activity as soon as they see it. We can’t solve crimes that haven’t been reported. Let us know so we can help you out. He recommended the installation of driveway alarms, motion sensor yard lights, house alarms, and of course encouraged people to lock up their property.
Rosom says that through his experiences and working night shifts recently, theft is at the highest it has been in his four years serving in the area. As far as what the RCMP is doing to prevent crime, Rosom says there are actions that have already been taken to remedy the problem.
“We have increased patrols in the area and are making ourselves more visible to help deter thieves.”
With incidents continually being noted, residents are now worried that the possibility of someone getting hurt, on either side of the situation, is also increasing.
“The group seems to be getting bolder and bolder, stopping in yards when it’s clear that someone is home. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them ends up getting shot or hurt by someone defending their property,” noted the resident.
Rosom also encouraged residents to reestablish the local Rural Crime Watch group that once existed in the area since having citizens keeping watch helps fill in the gaps when RCMP can’t be there.
