When living in a rural community, people rely on their neighbors and friends to keep an eye out for each other. This task becomes difficult when your closest neighbors’ home might be 5km or more away from you, so many people rely on technology to help protect their homes by installing motion sensors, security cameras, and alarm systems.
However even with the best security systems in place crime still occurs and according to Statistics Canada, there were 13,829 criminal code violations per 100,000 people in rural areas in Saskatchewan in 2017. These numbers only reflect crimes that were reported to local authorities and many people do not report what they feel are minor crimes so these numbers may be much higher.
The RCMP revealed a new program on March 7th, 2019 called the Saskatchewan Crime Watch Advisory Network to help rural residents be aware of crime within their communities. Sign-up is free and the network notifies users via email, text and/or voice calls of active crime reports such as stolen vehicles, break and enters and vandalism. Jessica Cantos, from Saskatchewan RCMP Media Relations, states that as of September 9th, the RCMP reported having 12,513 residents registered to the network and have found that interest and momentum have gathered very quickly since its launch.
The local RCMP are reporting successes in recovering stolen property, laying charges, and resolving suspicious person complaints, as well as making the public more aware of what is occurring in their communities since making the network available. “This can be largely attributed to members of the public, as it is a response to the advisories is what led investigators to solve numerous crimes,” said Cantos.
The Saskatchewan Protection and Response Team also assisted the RCMP on several occasions, over the last year, by being able to provide the initial response to some in-progress, Criminal code calls for service. The RCMP working with their partner agencies such as the Ministry of Highways has meant a greater police presence within the rural communities and an enhanced ability to respond to emergencies and crimes-in-progress in a more effective and timely manner.
Between members of the RCMP, their partner agencies, and people like you, there are many more eyes and ears on our roadways helping to prevent and solve a rural crime which benefits the community as a whole. For questions or with help signing up to receive alerts for your area contact the Saskatchewan Crime Watch Advisory Network at saskcrimewatch@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Written by: Bobbi - Lynne McGarry
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