When it comes to crime, the fact that we often focus on the negative is understandable. For the most part, criminal behaviour has long reaching and sometimes devastating effects on families and individuals. St.
When it comes to crime, the fact that we often focus on the negative is understandable. For the most part, criminal behaviour has long reaching and sometimes devastating effects on families and individuals.
St. Albert experienced that first hand at the beginning of the year when Const. David Wynn was gunned down in the Apex Casino. Both his family and the community were devastated by the violence that stole a husband, father and one of our protectors.
The Gazette also receives its fair share of letters from families whose sense of security have been violated by break-ins, theft and vandalism. Whether it is murder or petty crime, those stories stick in our minds yet often are not truly representative of the reality.
According to the latest report from statistics Canada, St. Albert is actually among the safest in the province. Compared to 21 other medium-sized communities in Alberta, our city has the lowest crime severity index score – measured at 38.87 for 2014. That is also more than a 15 per cent improvement compared to the previous year.
That is no small feat considering you can literally throw a rock at Edmonton – not that we advocate vandalism. With a city of nearly 900,000 right on our doorstep, keeping crime low is a testament not only to policing but also to the nature of our community as a whole.
Resident Heather Kerbes said it best when she told the Gazette, “It's a very community-minded place. A lot of people will go out of their way to say hi to other people, help other people or open a door for other people. That neighbourly feeling is what helps to create the feeling of safety.”
But sense of community is like a marriage, it takes work. The city and the RCMP should both be commended for the effort that has gone toward fostering that sense of civic pride.
On the city's side, events such as the neighbourhood block parties and the farmers' market create an atmosphere where people can meet their neighbours. Its efforts at city beautification also help create a sense of ownership that people will strive to maintain.
The RCMP, instead of focusing on strictly enforcement, also engages in a number of community policing activities. Ranging from school resource officers or community officers who patrol the city on golf carts or bicycles, police are endeavouring to form a bond with St. Albertans.
There are also partnership initiatives between the RCMP, City and the city youth organization BAM (Building Assets and Memories). The 40-Assests programs, the product of a survey of 5,400 students back in 2008, outlines the values, qualities, and experiences that young people need in their lives to become caring, competent, responsible people. Initiatives to get the youth involved in the community range from community cleanups to volunteering.
That familiarity with neighbours, different generations and police officers is vital in developing not only trust but also a symbiotic relationship that results in people caring about each other's wellbeing.
No community is free from crime, but St. Albert can pride itself in being the type of city where neighbours still wave to each other as they pass, people feel safe in their homes and on the street, and there is a concerted effort to continually build civic pride. We all have a responsibility to help maintain that community feel and show those who would try and attack our sense of security that St. Albert is the kind of community where people look out for each other.
