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Crime rate in County of Barrhead at a four-year low

Despite the perception, the crime rate is going down in the County of Barrhead. That is what RCMP Sgt. Bob Dodds told County of Barrhead councillors during their Feb. 5 meeting.
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Barrhead RCMP Sgt. Bob Dodds told County of Barrhead councillors that the area’s crime rate is at a four-year low.

Despite the perception, the crime rate is going down in the County of Barrhead. That is what RCMP Sgt. Bob Dodds told County of Barrhead councillors during their Feb. 5 meeting.

In fact, he said both persons and property crimes are the lowest they have been in four years.

“I know there is a perception that crime is rampant, especially property crime and that you aren’t safe in your homes, but that is not the case. I’m not sure why, but the reality is that things are starting to slow down in the rural areas,” he said.

From 2015 to 2018, there were 284 person crimes in the county, with 2015 having the highest total with 83, with 65, 75, and 61 respectively for 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Dodds characterizes persons crimes as crimes committed directly against people, such as robbery, assault, kidnapping, extortion, criminal harassment, uttering threats and various sexual offences.

The category with the highest number of files was assault with 50, 31, 39 and 35 being reported from 2015 to 2018, respectively, followed by uttering threats, with 65 files being reported. The detachment also received 27 criminal harassment, 20 sexual assaults as well as other sexual offences, five robberies and four kidnapping/hostage/abduction and extortion complaints over the same four years.

One odd person crime statistic was the number of homicides.

In 2018, RCMP K Division statistics show that there were two homicides and offences related to death, which was news to Dodds because to his recollection there were no deaths in the detachment area directly related to a crime.

“What the category should really be named is offences related to death and attempted, or potential death,” he said.

The two files in question, one was where a woman loosened the lug nuts of a person’s tires while the other was an altercation at the Tiger Lily transfer site in November where two individuals allegedly assaulted a male, poured gasoline on him and his truck before setting the vehicle on fire.

On the property crime side, the largest category is theft under $5,000 with 144, 77, 78, and 51 being reported in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 respectively. The next largest category being reported is break and enters with 50,42,43 and 40 being reported from 2015 to 2018 respectively.

Motor vehicle theft was the next highest category with 30, 24, and 27 being reported from 2015 to 2018.

“The only category that really went up significantly is possession of stolen goods which increased to 22 in 2018 from eight files the previous two years.

“That is good news because we actually caught someone with stolen property.”

When it comes to motor vehicle collisions Dodds wasn’t as optimistic. The total number of collisions decreased in 2018 with 253 reported, down from 264 in 2017.

“That number is always going to be high because the largest category of motor vehicle collisions is wildlife strikes and the county is where all the moose and deer are,” he said.

Dodds said the public have a misconception, mostly due to the media, that it takes three hours or more for the RCMP to respond to a call.

The average response times in Alberta for Priority 1 and 2 complaints in Alberta is 20 minutes and 17 seconds.

“When someone is trying to break into your house that might seem like an eternity, but given our staffing levels and the distances, that is respectable,” he said.

Coun. Bill Lane questioned the accuracy of the number of drug offences being reported. Between 2015 and 2018, 36 drug offences were reported with the most being in 2015 with 15 and the least in 2017 and 2018 with six.

“I know there is more going on. When you look at your motor-vehicle thefts, thefts over and under $5,000 and B&Es, the vast majority are related to the drug problem in one way or another and if we could eliminate it we would see a vast reduction in our property and person crimes would disappear,” Dodds said.

On the issue of staffing, Dodds said, for the first time in two years they are close to having a full compliment.

“We have our full contingent of constables, something that we should have for the foreseeable future, but unfortunately we have lost Cpl. Riley Sutherland who has gone to depot as an instructor,” he said.

Sutherland will be replaced by Cpl. Leigh Drinkwater from Vegreville, whom Dodds served with while they were stationed in Slave Lake.

“From personal experience I know we are getting a good one,” he said.

The detachment is still looking for someone to fill the school resource officer (SRO) position, which has been vacant since June.

Dodds is hopeful they will be able to fill the position by September, noting someone has expressed interest in the position, but a complicating factor is that he would need to sell his house before relocating. Something that will in all likelihood delay the arrival of Drinkwater as well.

Reeve Doug Drozd asked if the Crime Reduction Units (CRU) the province instituted are having any impact.

In March, the province gave the RCMP $10 million for 39 officers, as well as 40 civilian members and 10 Crown prosecutors. These resources would be used to form CRUs — mobile units whose primary function is to help reduce crime in rural areas.

Dodds said they were.

One of the things local detachments use CRUs for is to track down suspects wanted on warrants that local detachments don’t have the resources to do.

“In December they came to town,  gave them a list of people and within hours they rounded them all up. They bring two things, numbers [estimated eight members plus support staff] and experience and that’s huge,” he said.

Coun. Walter Preugschas asked if Barrhead & Area Regional Crime Coalition’s (BARCC) alert system was proving to be helpful for the RCMP. BARCC is a partnership between Woodlands County, the Town of Barrhead and the County of Barrhead, as well as the Barrhead RCMP and Rural Crime Watch.

It was formed this spring, in part due to discussions Peace River-Westlock MP Arnold Viersen had with all parties in about initiatives to combat rural crime.

As part of the initiative, BARCC has set up a software-based system that allows the municipalities, Rural Crime Watch and the RCMP broadcast messages via automated phone calls, e-mails, and texts, about items of public interest.

Dodd’s said yes, referring to an incident in December when the system helped them arrest a suspect involved in a number of thefts.

“My concern is that if I start using it all the time for minor offences it will start becoming white noise. My threshold is if I think the public is going to help us catch someone or if there is a public threat so that if you hear something from the Barrhead RCMP it’s going to catch your ear and you’ll know its important,” he said.


Barry Kerton

About the Author: Barry Kerton

Barry Kerton is the managing editor of the Barrhead Leader, joining the paper in 2014. He covers news, municipal politics and sports.
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