ST. PAUL - A meeting between Town of St. Paul council and RCMP Sgt. David Graham offered an opportunity for the municipality to ask questions and get a bit of guidance on what can be done to help with property crime in town.
Recently, a letter that included a list of signatures from one area in town, was submitted to the Town of St. Paul, voicing concern about property crime, theft, and other suspicious behaviours. Graham said he has been able to speak with the lady who put together the letter and circulated it.
Graham first spoke about the detachment's focus on "hot spot policing." He noted it's important for officers to be visible and they do visit specific areas in town more often. When looking at the area noted in the letter, Graham said that according to crime mapping, the area isn't necessarily showing a lot of crime. The southwest portion of town, however, is "a bit more concerning."
When looking at crime overall in St. Paul, Graham says RCMP do know that the majority of these crimes are being committed by the same people. And, there are some residences that the RCMP is aware of and watch. Work is being doing to deal with these houses.
Coun. Nathan Taylor asked Graham about a recent initiative announced by the St. Paul RCMP that is seeking residents to be on a list if they have security cameras on their properties. Graham said the initial response to the initiative was really good, and a couple dozen people did come forward to be included in the database. They are looking for more people to be added to the list.
Graham says having the database available will help catch suspects, and he notes that surveillance has been huge in helping RCMP identify suspects.
Taylor asked what RCMP officers need from the footage for it to be helpful, to which Graham explained, sometimes it's just matching up a suspect to the clothes he or she is wearing. He pointed to a recent case where someone fell through the roof at a local business. RCMP are working to link the individual to other break-ins that occurred around the same time, based on the clothing he was wearing.
Video doesn't have to be footage of the actual crime, but can capture something that can provide evidence to link someone to another incident, he explained.
Graham also spoke to the Citizen on Patrol group, and noted that while he's heard of residents speaking about putting together community watch groups, "we don't need to reinvent the wheel." He encouraged people to get involved with the existing Citizens on Patrol group, because the group does require more volunteers.
"We just need people that want to be part of it."
Graham explained that one of the benefits of Citizens on Patrol is that they are in unmarked vehicles. Sometimes, when police pass by someone who is about to commit a crime, that person waits until the police vehicle is gone. Sometimes, volunteers with Citizens on Patrol see things and suspects don't realize it.
Taylor also asked Graham what the town could do to help with situations that aren't criminal.
Graham said that ideally, he would like to see a mat program where people who have nowhere to go have a warm place to sleep and a meal - especially in the colder months.
"It's not a solution to the issue," acknowledged Graham, but, it give RCMP members an option.
Graham said the he recognizes the frustrations that exist among residents who are victims of property crime. RCMP members aren't immune to the issues, and experience theft of personal property themselves, he said.
"We're very well aware of the frustrations."
But, he also believes people need to be more educated about what they can do to make themselves less attractive to crime. People need to lock up their vehicles, lock their garages, and lock their homes.
He says people have a responsibility to do their part and decrease the likelihood of crime occurring. Also, it's important to report incidents.
"Quite often, we make one arrest and it solves five or six files," says Graham. But, "it's hard to track criminals if we don't know the crime has happened."
Graham adds that he would also rather receive 20 calls of a suspicious person rather than having to respond to three break and enter calls later on.
The Town of St. Paul is planning to host a telephone town hall with RCMP near the end of September or early October. More information will be released about the event when it's available. The event will allow residents to ask questions directly to RCMP.
Graham says he appreciates the town and community's interest on the topic. He says conversations are good and it means people care.
