RCMP app for reporting non-urgent crimes

By Rob Vogt
Claresholm and area residents have another tool to learn more about RCMP activity in the area as well as report non-urgent crime.
The police have made reporting non-urgent crime easier through the Alberta RCMP app, which is available as a free download on the Apple App Store or Google Play.
The app provides the public with online access to news, crime reporting, statistics, the location of detachments, and crime mapping.
The app also has links to other law enforcement agencies as well as the RCMP’s social media, mental health support, and Crime Stoppers.
“It’s a great resource,” said Corporal Tom Nairn, who has been acting as Claresholm detachment commander. “It allows the public to track crime that has happened in the area.”
He also discussed the app in a recent presentation to Claresholm town council, referring to a letter written by Corporal Sean Dutch who had also acted as detachment commander.
“We recognize that non-urgent crimes such as minor thefts and property crime may go unreported due to various reasons such as perceived insignificance or fear of inconvenience. Thus, the Alberta RCMP continues to engage citizens on the importance of reporting non-urgent crimes to help us optimize our crime prevention efforts,” the letter stated.
To help facilitate this, the RCMP made reporting of non-urgent crime easier through the Alberta RCMP app. Online crime reporting offers a convenient way for citizens to report non-emergent crime to Alberta RCMP from their computer or smartphone without having to phone or visit the police detachment.
There are several reasons that reporting non-urgent crime matters.
Alberta RCMP police officers in the Call Back Unit are responsible for investigating online crime reports, reducing the need for front-line police officers to respond. Encouraging the public to use online crime reporting gives the detachment front-line officers an opportunity to spend more of their time for proactive policing activities in the community.
Non-urgent online crime reporting also has the potential to reduce those same non-urgent phone calls to the 911 Operators (OCCS) and detachment staff.
The Alberta RCMP encourages citizens to report every crime to allow them to leverage reliable data to identify patterns and trends in criminal activities in the community.
They also use this intelligence to distribute police resources strategically and ensure their police officers are deployed where they are most needed.