Local municipalities are continuing to drive awareness about a perceived increase in rural crime in Alberta.
The County of St. Paul put together a resolution on rural crime, which was approved at the AAMDC (Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties) Zone 5 meeting on Jan. 11, meaning it will now be on the resolution list for the AAMDC Convention in March.
The resolution is titled “Increase crown prosecutor staffing levels for rural municipalities,” and was put together by county administration on the direction of council and concerns about increased rural crime.
“Albertans are concerned with the escalating levels of rural crime as evidenced by many media reports over the past few years,” states the resolution. It also notes that the Supreme Court of Canada’s 2016 decision to put hard timelines in place to resolve cases has resulted in cases being stayed because of a lack of resources in the provincial prosecution service.
The resolution also notes that “the current prosecutor staffing levels are not sufficient to manage the demands of the numbers of cases on the current docket,” and “crown prosecutors in rural municipalities are overworked and understaffed and require additional support to effectively carry out their duties.”
The resolution calls on the Government of Alberta to increase crown persecutor staffing levels, as well as relevant administrative staff for rural communities, and collaborate with rural communities to ensure court cases are being prosecuted in a timely manner.
While the province did announced the hiring of 50 new crown prosecutors and 30 support staff, there isn’t a lot of information on where those new staff members will go, said Kyle Attanasio, director of corporate services with the County of St. Paul.
Reeve Steve Upham stated he felt the resolution could at least “open up the discussion” on rural crime and put some pressure on the province.
Council approved the resolution on Tuesday, which then was approved on Thursday at the AAMDC Zone 5 meeting.
The Town of St. Paul is also taking steps to address issues with crime. Mayor Maureen Miller met with MP Shannon Stubbs, last week to discuss policing.
Following the meeting, Miller told the Journal that she and Stubbs discussed possible assessments from the government on policing needs in neighbouring communities, and subsequently all of rural Alberta.
She also asked the MP if the assessments are conducted by use of population, by town, or by an escalation of incidents.
“In all of rural Alberta, the needs (for policing) are increasing because we’re hearing all over about the increase in crime,” said Miller. “As a member of a community, I want to know if (my community) is safe and putting resources where they need to be. It benefits us all.”
