Residents will now be able to know exactly what crimes are happening in their city, their neighbourhood and their street with a new online crime map.
Insp. Warren Dosko, commander of the St. Albert RCMP detachment, and city crime analyst Dale Fetterly showed off the new tool at city hall on Friday. The tool is available for anyone who is interested at www.stalbert.ca/crime-map and shows crime in the city, broken down by type, neighbourhood and date.
Dosko said he hopes residents will use the tool to be able to learn more about what is happening near them.
“It is more than just about the numbers. It is a tool that is going to help prevent crime in our community.”
The website is similar to one in Edmonton and allows residents to pick the type of crime they are interested in or the neighbourhood and see results going back over the last five years.
The map lists crimes from the most serious homicides, sexual assaults and arsons to minor crimes like theft from vehicles and vandalism. All of the crimes are plotted on the map with push pins that show the street, but not the exact location, where the crime took place.
Dosko said residents might use the tool to respond if they notice a number of thefts from vehicles in their neighbourhood.
“It gives you that awareness and that reminder to lock your car door and make sure you’re taking your purse out of your vehicle.”
Fetterly, who also works with the Neighbourhood Watch Association of St. Albert, said, looking at the city over the course of five years, anyone would notice that all parts of the city see some crime.
“Eventually someone is going to walk down your street in the middle of the night and look to see what has been left in your car.”
Dosko said taking proactive steps can have a big impact on the amount of crime the city sees.
“Everybody has the opportunity to reduce crime 20 to 30 per cent in our community.”
Dosko said he is not concerned about the data giving a particular neighbourhood or street a black eye. He said the community is generally very safe with little in the way of crime, but every corner of the city experiences some problems.
“There are no pockets of nothing,” he said. “You are not protected if you live in any one part of the community.”
St. Albert Mayor Nolan Crouse said he has been asked over the years about this kind of data and he is happy the city will be able to provide it again.
He said, along with policing, neighbourhood development groups and other measures, the tools are all about moving to a safer city.
“You have to continue to strive to not have crime. That sounds like a lofty responsibility, but at the end of the day, you have to make sure you give citizens all the tools so residents can help do crime prevention.”
