Rural crime is an “epidemic that has been plaguing rural communities across Alberta for more than three years," according to a July 4 report from the United Conservative Party.
The report’s recommendations are the results from conversations held at town hall meetings across the province, crime statistics, review of policy and interviews with present and past law enforcement.
The highlights of the recommendations are split into seven categories, including a stronger repeat offender’s policy, improving victim services, and combating court Delays.
Some more key takeaways of their recommendation include encouraging an increased use of electronic monitoring of high-risk and repeat offenders, a call to consider establishing temporary court facilities, as well as hiring additional prosecutors to deal with and eliminate backlogs in the system.
"The fact of the matter is that families from across rural Alberta still don't feel safe in their own homes," UCP Justice Critic Angela Pitt said in a media release.
"The NDP thinks that throwing money at the problem is an effective solution but there are long-standing, systematic issues that must be dealt with before meaningful improvements can be made. These recommendations go a long way towards achieving that goal."
Premier Rachel Notley volleyed back on Twitter after the report was released.
"The UCP didn't just oppose the plan we developed in consultation with the RCMP, they also voted against funding for 59 new rural RCMP officers," she tweeted.
"The fact is, our plan is working & we're committed to making our communities safer and life better for all Albertans," Notley continued.
The report also calls for the government to review "the amount of under staffing in specific RCMP detachments," and the amount of resources police have in rural areas and how to improve response times.
Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley said regarding the report: "We've partnered with the RCMP on a Rural Crime Strategy that puts more boots on the ground and makes policing more efficient and effective. In May, property crime in rural areas was down by 10%. The UCP caucus has twice voted against funding to tackle rural crime."
The County
County of St. Paul Reeve Steve Upham believes there are a number of issues remaining with crime in the area, but a particular issue, he says, is with the court system, and how people show up and "get a slap on the wrist," before adding "there's no repercussions."
"I think the RCMP is doing everything they can within their budget and what the system allows," Upham said.
"I think the challenge is what happens once they bring (suspects into court). I think that's where it all falls apart with how the justice system handles those perpetrators and criminals."
He continued.
"Too many cases get thrown out of court. RCMP officers get can get demoralized for all the work they do and all the hours they spend doing desk work... to bring people to justice and it all gets tossed out because of technicalities,"
"We have a serious problem with the way justice is handled in this country."
Upham didn't specifically mention the county of St. Paul as an area he considered the RCMP being understaffed, but said "members maybe tend to feel pressured from the workload," across all rural Alberta communities.
Since the federal government announced additional funding to help combat rural crime earlier this year, there has been "increased visibility," of policing Upham says in the county.
Citizens on Patrol
A handful of concerned citizens have taken vigilance into their own hands. Citizens on Patrol (COP), has long been a fixture in the town, which works hand-in-hand with the St. Paul RCMP detachment.
Heading the group is Dave Gamache, who says they're the "eyes and ears of the RCMP."
"We usually have a couple of patrols a week. Some people go out at different times, it just depends how many (volunteers) there are," Gamache said.
There are currently 22 members of the present COP rendition.
Gamache says they begin their shifts at the detachment, and occasional receive instructions from the RCMP on what, or who, they're looking out for.
When it comes to an apparent rose in vehicle theft, with CCTV footage of a vehicle that's been burglarized being shared on social media seemingly every week, Gamache believes it all links back to drug use.
"There's been quite a bit more (vehicle theft) in town...From talking to the other members and talking to the RCMP, there's a big increase in drugs, especially crystal meth."
Stubbs files motion
In March, Federal conservative representative for the Lakeland Shannon Stubbs alongside others put forth Motion 167.
The motion calls on the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security to assess rural crime rates and trends in Canada, among other resources.
The motion received unanimous consent in the House of Commons at the end of May, and was backed by 101 endorsements across seven provinces from municipal governments and groups against crime. The town and county of St. Paul were two of the supporting municipalities.
The committee will begin their assessment in the fall of this year. Stubbs said part of her motion included the committee must make their recommendations within six months.
"It's an urgent issue to my constituents and to rural residents across Canada...What I'm hoping to see is concrete recommendations for action to combat rural crime and also to support victims of crime," Stubbs said.
