3The MD of Bonnyville has created a program to help residents protect their properties, now all they need is for the public to utilize it.
Through a series of open houses, the MD is promoting their new Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) program, where safety officers come to your property to assess areas that could be improved in order to prevent criminal activity.
“We want to prevent crime through a physical environment that positively influences human behaviour. It’s part of our crime prevention program,” explained officer Dan Hansen during the first open house on Wednesday, May 9 at Alexander Hall.
During a property assessment, Hansen will review five key areas: natural surveillance, natural access control, territoriality, maintenance, and lighting.
“When I go to your property to do an assessment for you, these are the things I’m looking for,” Hansen said. “What I do is I come out to your property, I take a number of pictures of your house, area, and the property. I also write down anything I see that could be improved.”
Using the information he collects during his external evaluation and discussions with the homeowner, Hansen will provide residents will an overview of areas that could be better. However, he stressed, no one is required to make any changes to their property.
“We also take into account any budgets you might have. By no means, are any of these recommendations obligations,” he noted.
By creating a Rural Crime Prevention Program, the MD is hoping to reduce crime and fear throughout the municipality.
But the CPTED isn’t the only service they’re offering residents.
According to Hansen, the MD is also offering vacant property checks.
“If you’re gone for more than a weekend and you need someone to do a drive by, we can offer a service where we can patrol your road, go down the driveway of your house and just make sure everything is there, the doors not broken into, or anything like that,” Hansen explained. “We’re not the ones that you need for insurance. Insurance requires you have someone check on your place every 72 hours while you’re gone. We won’t go in and check your plumbing or anything like that. We go to make sure that nothing is obviously wrong with your place.”
Residents also have access to engravers, that can be signed out at the MD office. They can be used to mark property that may not normally have a serial number.
Hansen used television sets and lawn mowers as a prime example, and stressed the importance of properly identifying property.
For Neal Carruthers, a resident in the Alexander area, having these options is a step in the right direction.
“I think it’s a good program. I think, especially the assessment and the fact that they’re willing to do that vacant check-in. That’s a great thing, because you tend to do that for your friends and neighbours to a certain extent,” he expressed, adding they will be taking advantage of the free service.
“The more visibility, the better. We have already done a lot of things that he has mentioned. Our house is visible from the road, we have lighting, we have a security system, but I am sure there are lots of other things we can do,” Carruthers added.
He hopes they won’t be the only residents to sign up for the program.
“The service is being provided, so why not take advantage of it,” he noted. “We certainly do have a problem, and the more things that can be done to solve the problem, the better off we will be.”
The next open house will by May 15, at the Sandy Rapids Community Hall, followed by another event on May 23 at the hall in Flat Lake.
On May 29, they will be hosting an information session at the Riverhurst Community Hall, followed by another one on May 31 in Cherry Grove at the community hall.
On June 6 they will be headed to Willow Prairie Hall.
Each event starts at 7 p.m. with a presentation, followed by an opportunity to ask questions.
