As Christmas approaches, St. Albert RCMP is expecting to see an increase in the amount of merchandise shoplifted from stores as well as the number of thefts from cars.
That’s why they are urging St. Albertans to report crime and suspicious activity to the police.
“The community is our extra eyes and ears,” said Const. M-J Burroughs.
“We can’t be everywhere, so we rely on the community. If you see something that’s not normal or hear something that isn’t normal, pick up the phone and let us know.”
Crime is on a downward trend in St. Albert. Statistics show that Criminal Code offences – including property crime, robbery, impaired driving and drug violations – were down 19.5 per cent in 2012 compared to 2011. This represents 13 fewer crimes per 1,000 residents than the year before.
Officers note, however, that there’s value in reporting any crime, as this can help with mapping crime trends in the city.
“Even if there’s not a ton police can seem to do at the time, it is important that we can gather the intelligence and plan our policing around that,” added Cpl. Laurel Kading.
“A lot of policing is planned off those reports and directed to where our problems are lying.”
Residents can call 911 if there is an emergency – when someone is in immediate danger, a crisis, or for example, you hear somebody breaking into your house. General complaints can be directed to the RCMP complaint line or Crime Stoppers.
“I think one of the reasons why people are reluctant (to report) is because they don’t want to be involved,” said Burroughs, noting complainants can remain anonymous whether they are reporting a crime to the RCMP or Crime Stoppers.
Leaving your name and contact information does however help police verify the information you’re giving and allows them to follow up.
“We ask for your information to make sure that we don’t have just a malicious report coming in,” said Kading.
RCMP urge people to phone in and report directly rather than relaying third-hand information, as accuracy then becomes questionable.
When a person phones the RCMP complaint line, he will reach an RCMP dispatcher in St. Albert. The dispatcher needs to know where the crime took place, when it happened, if it has happened before, as well as physical descriptions of the person(s) and motor vehicles involved (colour, make, model and licence plate).
They will also need to know why you think the incident was suspicious or that a crime had taken place.
The St. Albert RCMP complaint line is: 780-458-7700.
