The Prince Albert Police Service is taking an innovative approach to dealing with a burgeoning crime rate in their city. That city has a crime picture that mirrors what is happening in the Battlefords, just on a larger scale.
Prince Albert grapples with the same social issues and gang related crime, as well as similar demographics. The police service's community mobilization initiative is looking for solutions.
This week, an 11-member team, comprised of leaders from a variety of community organizations, as well as police service and RCMP members, travelled to Scotland to attend a six-day crime prevention seminar.
Their quest for answers takes them to an area with similar issues: high alcoholism, high youth violence, high binge drinking and high domestic violence. They will be attending sessions led by the Strathclyde Police in Glasgow.
Strathclyde Police have created a program that has had five years of success reducing crime and violence. The improvements have been achieved through forging partnerships among police, health, social services and education. Their programs look beyond the circumstances of crime to look for ways to prevent re-offending and helping individuals involved.
Prince Albert Police Chief Dale McFee says, without a change in approach, his city is looking at a doubling of calls for service over the next eight years. He makes his prediction based on seven years of historical data.
Each month, as the Battlefords RCMP report to city council, we hear of a similar trend, with calls for service almost always up from the previous year.
The Prince Albert chief envisions a situation where his officers could be called on to respond to 62,336 calls in 2018. It's a prospect that has the city looking for innovative ways to turn to the trend around.
As residents hunker down behind barricaded doors and electronic security systems, they might think of pressuring city council and the RCMP to take a look at what is happening in Prince Albert. Their efforts to reduce crime might be a workable model for similar improvements here.
