Crime Watch

Times Contributor

 

Every third Thursday of the month, you might notice a group of people clustered around the back door of the Strathmore RCMP detachment. It isn’t a mass bust…it is the members of the Rural Crime Watch.

When the doors open, members descend to their underground crime-fighting lair to deal with business.

“This is just a small group. We are just a part of a larger organization,” said Jeanette Murray, about the group’s ties to the Provincial Rural Crime Watch Association.

The group is a good way for rural neighbours to network, but they extend the invitation to anyone in the towns and hamlets to attend. There are regular special speakers, conferences and fundraising events that occur as well. This was the first fall meeting and some members were missing because they were busy with harvest duties.

Bill Murray from M and M Drilling spoke at the meeting, on health and safety issues involved with rural water systems. 

The partnership of rural people and the RCMP is historic. When the RCMP came to Alberta, there was often only one officer to patrol a large area. He relied on the eyes and ears of the local people to do his job. That relationship hasn’t changed over the years. Officers in Wheatland county still have a large area to patrol and rely on the public to notify them of suspicious activity. Public information has been instrumental in detecting criminal activity in the past. In turn, Crime Watch members are put on a call out list, where RCMP notify the residents of criminal activity in their area.

Strathmore’s RCMP liaison is Corporal Clint Chisholm. Members at the Sept. 20 meeting reported to him about some dangerous drag racing occurring on a road northeast of Strathmore.