Drumheller welcomed hundreds of Citizens on Patrol members from all over Alberta at their annual general meeting over the weekend, which saw a stop by justice minister Doug Schweitzer to talk about rural crime.
The Association of Citizens on Patrol (ACOPA) held their meeting here in Drumheller, which like many rural communities across Alberta, has been dealing with what many are perceiving as an increase in crimes like theft and break and enters.
Minister Schweitzer spoke at the meeting’s opening remarks and told the Mail he and his staff stopped here as part of a ‘listening tour’ to hear from local government, RCMP and other groups like Citizens on Patrol.
“So many Albertans are not feeling safe in their communities and it’s a big priority for our government to tackle crime head-on. We are committed in investing more in our prosecutors and our police to make sure we have enough resources on the ground so our people are feeling safe in their communities,” he said.
While every community faces unique challenges, a report released by StatsCan this spring suggested police-reported crime in rural areas across the country were 23 per cent higher than in urban areas. In Alberta in particular, break and enter rates were almost 50 per cent higher than in urban Alberta.
Minister Schweitzer said while in Drumheller he was encouraged to see the interest and engagement of people here to tackle crime and the interest in Citizens on Patrol. He also said his government has committed to funding 50 more legal prosecutors to add to the 300 currently working in the province.
Mayor Heather Colberg attended the event, as did Drumheller-Stettler MLA Nate Horner who said “presence is a big key” in keeping crime down locally, and encourages more people to get involved.
“It’s not just presence of the police but for people to be visible so they know people are paying attention and are out in the areas. It goes a long way,” he said.
Over 150 attendees participated in workshops and events throughout the weekend, including a talk from an Alberta RCMP K Division members, breakaway sessions with RCMP members, and ACOPA’s annual general meeting.
