Rural Crime a growing concern for officials

By Brady Grove, Times Reporter

A rise in phone calls concerning criminal activity in rural areas, especially regarding vehicle theft, is raising alarm bells with municipal and provincial elected officials who are trying to tackle the issue.
Wheatland County Division 2 Councillor Amber Link was among 30 people who attended the Wheatland County Rural Crime Watch monthly meeting on Jan. 18. Link’s constituents had previously expressed their concerns with the issues and challenges facing farmers and county residences that were addressed at the meeting.
“Some of the challenges involve the remoteness. There’s easier access for criminals and there’s not necessarily the surveillance you might have in town,” said Link. “Neighbours do look out for neighbours, but when you’re a couple of miles away from the closest neighbour, it’s hard.”
The meeting focused on vehicle theft from farming facilities, such as a workshops or farm yards – a major concern.
According to Link, one challenge associated with preventing vehicle theft is vehicles are being left unlocked with the keys kept inside for farming operations.
“Obviously the RCMP recommends people keep their vehicles locked and not have keys in them,” said Link. “I’ve heard from some residents who would prefer for them (criminals) to take the old farm truck with the keys in it with a quarter tank of gas than come into the house and look for keys.”
Independent MLA for Strathmore-Brooks Derek Fildebrandt has been in office since 2015 and said he is concerned by the increase in calls his office sees concerning crime in the countryside.
“When I first got elected in terms of issues people were bringing to me and my office this was not in the Top 10,” said Fildebrandt. “Now it’s pushing towards number one.”
Fildebrandt acknowledged it’s not a simple problem to solve because of its complex nature and limited police presence.
“Dealing with rural crime … it’s not an easy beast to beat,” said Fildebrandt. “There’s no silver bullet.”
Fildebrandt was scheduled to speak at the meeting but was unable to attend.
Wheatland County is no stranger to vehicle-related crime, with RCMP recently busting a chop-shop on Range Road 265 west of Strathmore on Jan. 8. Strathmore RCMP and the RCMP Auto Theft Unit found a dozen vehicles that were stolen or had their vehicle identification numbers altered. Charges have yet to be filed against the one male suspect from Calgary.
According to Strathmore RCMP Constable Denzil Morey, investigators are making sure their case is as strong as possible before proceeding.
“Because it was a more elaborate investigation, there are a lot of bits and pieces we need to pull together to make sure when the information is sworn in that it reflects all of the appropriate charges,” said Morey.