Crime reports listed with graphs and charts may show a decrease in criminal activity for Lac La Biche County over the last few months, but some local businesses say those statistics don't show what they've been experiencing.
Following a recent update to Lac La Biche County councillors by Enforcement Services officials, an update that showed a slight decrease in municipal complaint files and calls for service, two local business owners working just outside the downtown area offered a different crime story.
Both Saad Tarrabain from Tarrabain Dodge and Shawn Beniuk from High Caliber Automotive and Diesel Repair aren't seeing the reduced crime activity that reports show.
"Both of our businesses are suffering a lot of break-ins and crime, and we would like some help with security," said Tarrabain, suggesting that more community policing takes place in the downtown core than it does outside of that main area. "We would like what the rest of the town is getting."
Beniuk agreed, saying that increased patrols around the summer-long construction area in the downtown did little to help his business a few blocks away.
"What about the outlying businesses? We are all forgotten," he said, going further to say that the municipal push to bring in more new business and grow economic development has left existing businesses like his in the shadows. "Instead of all the focus on new businesses coming in, let's take care of what you've got."
As an example, he said streetlights were only recently put up along the town street leading to his business.
"I've been waiting for five years for that," he said, adding that he's had to pay for security measures at his own property like cameras, steel gates and concrete barriers to cope with the increases in theft and damage.
Tarrabain said her company has hired its own security guards to monitor the vehicle compound and main buildings.
In recent weeks several local businesses have suffered vandalism, break-ins and thefts from inside buildings and inside locked compounds. In several instances buildings and products have even been set on fire.
Both sides
The difference between the municipal statistics and the business owners' comments had Lac La Biche County's Mayor Paul Reutov commenting on both sides of the issue. Following the crime report presented by municipal staff, the mayor said his overall impression was that "things are getting better out there."
But as Tarrabain and Beniuk listed a number of issues, Reutov changed his response.
"The theft going on in this community is out of control, in my opinion," he said.
Other councillors around the table said they also realize the frustrations.
Councillor Darlene Beniuk said the statistics shown to council are lower because people aren't reporting them.
"I've spoken to quite a few businesses all over, and they are being broken into and other serious things ... but they are not reporting it because they have in the past and nothing happened. People have had enough and are saying, 'What the hell's the point,' because it's not going anywhere."
Councillor Kevin Pare said crime at automotive businesses in particular has been a growing concern for some time.
"It's getting to a point where people don't want to bring their vehicle in for service because if it stays there, it will get broken into," he said, agreeing that more has to be done when it comes to prevention and enforcement, saying municipal officials have "had our heads in the sand" when it comes to dealing with crime. "We need to have more police presence and more CPO (Community Peace Officer) presence."
More community officers
Lac La Biche County councillors voted unanimously to explore funding options to bring in more peace officers and add more CCTV cameras in outlying areas of the community.
An approval for more officers and equipment would be welcomed, says the county's new manager of Enforcement Services. Ryan Deschamps. He says the current roster of patrol members includes four officers, a supervisor, a bylaw enforcement officer and a school liaison.
"Our department is working at the capacity of the officers we have... We are working to stretch our crews out as much as we can. For us to reach our outside areas, we are seeing challenges," he admitted, but added that the existing staff are continuing to provide valuable service. "Based on our staffing levels, I think we are doing a fairly good job."
Additional resources would not only help to make the community safer, but would also increase safety aspects for the officers.
"An increase would definitely help ... and to make sure that our officers are not working alone, that they are paired up, he said.
Peace officers are just one part of the enforcement presence in the community. Officers with the local RCMP detachment were expected to present an update on their year-to-date statistics at last week's council meeting, but that meeting was postponed due to scheduling issues.
Lac La Biche County councillors are expected to look over the report for additional municipal peace officers and more CCTV resources in the coming weeks.
