Residents now have the ability to see crime that has taken place locally.
The Bonnyville RCMP’s Crime Map for the town was launched earlier this month. It features icons displaying where, when, and what crimes have been committed within town limits.
“Crime mapping is an innovative tool that the RCMP in all of Alberta is using to tackle the few offenders that are committing the most crimes,” detailed Bonnyville RCMP S/Sgt. Sarah Parke.
Parke described it as a “positive tool” for both the community and detachment.
“It’s going to help the RCMP to combat rural crime, and in-town crime as well... It’s beneficial to residents in the community to be aware of where trends may be occurring, and to be more vigilant in those areas,” she said.
Town Mayor Gene Sobolewski agreed with Parke, noting he “loves” the tool.
He said, “What it does is it provides perspective, and that’s so important. You hear rumours and innuendo about that, and you can go on and that will paint a picture for you in a graphical sense.”
The crime map allows the local RCMP to communicate with other detachments, while sharing information with community partners.
“It encourages Albertans to participate in crime prevention strategies, such as reporting suspicious persons or activities, in an effort to be an extra pair of eyes for police in those specific communities,” Parke explained.
Some offences featured on the map are theft of a motor vehicle, theft from a motor vehicle, break and enter, mischief, and missing persons.
While the crimes themselves are indicated, including the date of the offence, specific locations aren’t released.
“The plotted address won’t be exact on the map. They’ll be somewhere along that street or the nearest intersection where that (incident) happened,” Parke explained.
The RCMP retains the information posted to the website, but the icons are only available for the public to view for two weeks.
Parke said the map will include the previous 14 days worth of data.
The map isn’t only used to point out when and where offences take place. It’s also used in the case of an emergency.
Parke explained, “This component of the crime mapping would only be used in emergency situations, and for very short times.”
She added, this feature would be used to get information out to the public quickly.
Some examples would be a school lockdown, an unfolding dangerous situation, an evacuation, or an environmental disaster.
The crime map program was launched in St. Albert earlier this year, with other detachments throughout Alberta coming online since.
According to Village of Glendon CAO Melody Kwiatkowski, the municipality is in the process of setting up their crime map.
In terms of the MD of Bonnyville, it’s still a possibility.
Reeve Greg Sawchuk said they have the ability to take on the program, and will be discussing it during their council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 28.
For more information, or to access the map, visit the Town of Bonnyville’s website.
