M.D. gauges interest in rural crime watch for Claresholm/Nanton area

By Rob Vogt
The Municipal District of Willow Creek will contact the Fort Macleod rural crime watch group to see if they would be interested in meeting with people from the Claresholm and Nanton area to form a broader organization, and a meeting date for further discussion on starting a rural crime watch has been set.
About 35 people gathered at the Claresholm Community Centre on April 6, for an information session sponsored by the M.D., to hear a presentation by Rosemary Lindsay, vice-president of the Alberta Provincial Crime Watch Association.
Lindsay explained every crime has three elements – a victim; criminal intent; and opportunity.
Rural Crime Watch is a crime prevention group that was established in conjunction with the RCMP to reduce crime in outlying areas.
Its mission is to strive to promote rural crime prevention through communication, programs, and support.
Rural Crime Watch members take an active role in crime prevention with passive patrols and by communicating with local police.
The RCMP’s role is to promote and foster the establishment and use of Rural Crime Watch and, where possible, provide local RCMP members to act as a liaison/trainer for the local Rural Crime Watch association.
The role of Rural Crime Watch is:
• To improve community awareness regarding crime prevention;
• To promote crime prevention by sharing information regarding techniques, products, and ideas;
• To interact and share information with other crime watch/prevention groups within Alberta;
• To provide information and education to seniors and others through a fraud prevention program called the Wise Owl Program;
• To study problems of concern to rural areas of the province such as the prevention of crime, investigation of incidents, and the judicial system;
• To assist in the prevention of crime.
The benefits of Rural Crime Watch are it is part of the RCMP community policing program; it is part of a province-wide organization with more than 11,000 members; there is information sharing; it is the eyes and ears of rural Alberta; members have access to resources, education, support, tips, information, workshops, and seminars about crime prevention; and there is access to Rural Crime Watch signage.
That yellow Rural Crime Watch sign means members are active in the area; interested in their community; looking after their neighbours; have been educated on how to protect their property; watching for suspicious activity; reporting suspicious activity to the RCMP and other law enforcement agencies; and criminals know their activity may be monitored.
Rural Crime Watch members receive information through welcome packages from their local Rural Crime Watch association; and educational sessions. They also have access to fan-outs from the local association by e-mail, phone call, text, social media; a crime app, and RCMP app.
Lindsay said the purpose of the meeting that night was to gauge interest in starting a Rural Crime Watch association.
She then went through the steps of starting one:
1) set up a meeting with interested community members, with a minimum of five required, to form an association and set up a board of directors;
2) At the meeting, pick a name;
3) Get an Alberta Newly Upgraded Automated Name Search, or NUANS report, to ensure no other society has an identical name;
4) Apply to form a society;
5) Create society bylaws;
6) Obtain a notice of address for the society;
7) Submit everything to the Alberta Provincial Rural Crime Watch Association.
At that point, Derrick Krizsan, the M.D.’s chief administrative officer, said the M.D. will provide administrative assistance including help with a NUANS report and bylaws.
Lindsay said that is about three-quarters of the work.
Maryanne Sandberg, reeve of the M.D., added the M.D. has budgeted $1,500 to the initiative.
Lindsay then discussed joining a Rural Crime Watch association.
This can be done by contacting the local association; completing the association’s membership application; and submitting the application for review, as per the application’s instructions. The local association will follow their protocol for reviewing membership applications and the prospective member will be notified.
She concluded by stressing Rural Crime Watch is citizen-led.
“This is your association,” Lindsay said.
Sandberg said the Fort Macleod group is interested in this initiative, so she will talk to them.
M.D. resident Buck Thompson also offered to pay the fee to join the provincial association, which could be $125 or $250, depending on the set-up of the group and who is involved.
In the meantime, it was agreed to have another meeting on Thursday, April 20 at 7 p.m., at the Claresholm Community Centre, to talk about organizing a Rural Crime Watch association.