| Neighbourhood Watch Association of St. Albert |
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St. Albert RCMP are focusing on the problem of Theft from Motor Vehicles as the theme for the 2012 Crime Prevention Week. On May 15, 2012, members from the St. Albert RCMP Community Policing Section, along with members from the St. Albert RCMP Auxiliary Constable program will be passing out flyers to educate residents about how to prevent Theft from Motor Vehicles in St. Albert. Criminals stealing from parked vehicles is one of the highest reported crimes in St. Albert. It is estimated that residents of this city are losing thousands of dollars of property to crime and for the majority of the incidents, the vehicles have been left unlocked with valuables inside. Criminals have gotten the message that many vehicles are unlocked in St. Albert and they are breaking into the cars - even when they are parked in the owner's driveway. It is so easy that all the thief has to do is walk along the streets trying car door handles and voila, - most open readily! Laptops, ipods, GPS units, purses, wallets, cash, briefcases and all kinds of other valuables are regularly stolen. As well, thieves are stealing insurance, registration documents and driver's licenses, which are all sources of information that can lead to identity theft. If a person's identity is stolen, the losses can affect the person's credit rating for years to come. Already this year, St. Albert has received 182 reports of thefts from motor vehicles, so the RCMP are circulating pamphlets to remind residents that Crime Prevention begins at home. When parking, either at home or away, everyone should ensure that their vehicle is locked and no valuables are left in the vehicle. Even when someone is "just running into a place for a minute", a locked vehicle prevents that criminal from grabbing the purse left out in sight, or worse still, taking the whole vehicle. So this year, when you see a police officer putting something on your windshield, it might be information about preventing thefts from your property. Come out and talk to the officer to see how you can be a part of putting a stop to Crime in your neighbourhood! NEW: A Crime Map showing incidents reported to St Albert RCMP is available, in addition to printed reports. Now you can visualize what has happened in your area for any type of crime since 2005. Click on the FAQ link on the map web page for full details.
Subscribe to Crime Alerts and you will be notifed by email whenever an incident occurs on your street or neighbourhood. You can receive alerts for multiple streets and/or neighbourhoods, or even the whole city. Try it out here. Did you notice something suspicious? Tips on when to call the police. Also, here is an announcement about assistance from the community from the RCMP.
Did you know that any St. Albert Transit bus can be a refuge for persons in distress? Under the SAFE BUS program, drivers can let people in distress onto the bus, and then contact the dispatch office for assistance. Neighbourhood Watch and Citizen's Patrol have 40 traffic control pylons (Looper Tubes) that you can borrow for your community event in St Albert. Contact Dale at 780-460-4276 for more information. Are you concerned about criminals who have served their sentences and returned to the community? Check the Alberta government's high risk offender list. The City of St Albert has developed a Graffiti Toolkit to assist residents in taking action against graffiti. Tips on how to remove graffiti and details about the program are at www.stalbert.ca/graffiti. Here are some home security tips that can reduce your probability of becoming a victim of crime. Do you know why you should carry your car keys around the house? Is there a lesson to be learned from the parents who "drugged" their kids?
St. Albert RCMP issues an alert about credit card phishing scams. Abuse takes many forms - here is what to watch for in elder abuse. The RCMP suggests you beware of counterfeit goods when making purchases. D.A.R.E. - information about Drug Abuse Resistance Education, Lesson 2, Lesson 3, Lesson 4, Lesson 5, Lesson 6. Having a problem using an ATM machine? Be aware of this ATM scam (requires PowerPoint viewer). The St. Albert Community Drug Response Committee has published Mobilizing Our Community, a resource manual for parents, teachers and youth. The Edmonton Community Drug Strategy works to prevent and reduce the harmful impacts of alcohol and illicit drug misuse, and has published a Parent Resource Toolkit to help recognize drugs and assist your children in resisting them. Now you can register the serial numbers of your possessions before they are lost or stolen. When police recover your property, they can look up the serial number and identify you as the owner. Go to the Serial Number Registry for details about this FREE service. Companies and organizations are needed to supervise persons performing community service work as part of their rehabilitation program. Contact St. Albert Community Corrections at 458-5847 for information on how you can help. This site was updated on May 15, 2012. |
