Mayor Nolan Crouse commissioned a crime study focusing on the Akinsdale neighbourhood during a public hearing on Monday night.
Crouse issued the study in response to concerns brought forth by residents of the northeast community during discussions about the Habitat for Humanity project at 70 Arlington Dr. He made the announcement at the start of the first public hearing about the project.
“There’s been this ongoing issue about crime in Akinsdale, so I’ve decided to have this crime analysis done,” Crouse said after the public hearing. “This is a decision I have made as mayor.”
Crouse said a crime analyst recently hired by the city would conduct the study using current statistics on file at the RCMP detachment. The analysis will look at crime across St. Albert, comparing the rates in other neighbourhoods to the crime rate in Akinsdale.
After the data is presented to council, Crouse said he planned to start a mayor’s task force to look at crime prevention in Akinsdale, as well as hold an open house with community members to discuss what comes out of the study, including potential solutions.
“We want to see what types of crime are prevalent in Akinsdale,” said Crouse. “It may show we need more [photo radar] cameras for speeding, it may show we need more patrols. We don’t know.”
Akinsdale resident Terry Sperling said the mayor’s announcement made him happy, adding that when looking at a project like the one at 70 Arlington Dr., studying the neighbourhood’s level of crime makes sense.
“I personally don’t see any crime … but hearing more about car break-ins, I’ve seen graffiti on [the plaza on Hebert Road], that kind of thing,” he said. “It’s still a good neighbourhood, though.”
Sperling said he would like to see if the survey could find a correlation between crime rates and an area’s population density, saying that statistic could make a difference in the debate over the Habitat for Humanity project.
Fellow resident Gerry Kress said he also appreciated hearing about the crime study, noting illegal activity has grown over the years. Kress said many of the citizens in the area have banded together to form their own group, where they keep an eye out on what is going on.
“If we see someone suspicious, then we tell each other about it,” he said. “There’s lots of vandalism, breaking into vehicles and windows … something needs to be done.”’
During the public hearing Crouse advised all 61 registered speakers that presentations could focus on density, traffic, green space, and a host of other issues, but crime wasn’t one of them. The crime task force will look at local trends.
Crouse said he hoped to have the statistics presented to council in April, but emphasized that it depended on how quickly the city’s new crime analyst is able to access the information needed.
It’s not the first time council has taken an active role in neighbourhood crime. Last year councillors also intervened in Braeside and Sturgeon Heights when residents complained of rising criminal behaviour like vandalism, fights and public drunkenness.
