Thursday, March 5, 2020
VOLUME 2 I ISSUE 36
MERIDIANSOURCE.CA
Marshall tackles rural crime issues GEOFF LEE
WRITER
.................................. Some of the concerns brought up during a rural crime information meeting in Marshall could get the attention of the provincial and federal governments. Changes to the court system, improved response time communication and safe ways residents can protect themselves were among the actionable issues discussed by a panel of experts and rural residents at a packed Marshall Three Links Community Centre Friday evening. “I think crime has escalated significantly, particularly over the last three years,” said Lloydminster MLA Colleen Young, who organized the meeting. Saskatchewan’s rural crime is more than double the national average with 13,829 criminal code violations per 100,000 people, according to Statistics Canada 2017 data. Young says Saskatchewan has invested in supporting local RCMP by retraining and arming wildlife officers and highway patrol officers as well as putting a provincial response team in place —but more needs to be done. “We need to have that conversation on where we’re failing with the system in order to protect our citi-
zens,” she said. Maidstone RCMP Detachment Sgt. Jolyne Harrison noted some crime is trending upwards in the area with 79 break and enters in 2019 compared to 69 in 2018. She noted flights from police have jumped from 11 in 2018 to 365 in 2019, with 11 within the first 15 days of 2020. Vehicle thefts have declined slightly from 69 in 2018 to 57 in 2019, with only one charge laid due to reasons such as collecting enough evidence. “So we’re decreasing on our stolen vehicles which is a good thing, and I think part of it is you guys keeping your stuff locked up and out of the public eye,” said Harrison. Maidstone RCMP responded to 3,825 calls in 2019 and tipped their hats to assistance from Citizens on Patrol and Saskatchewan Crime Watch. “We can’t thank you enough for being those eyes and ears out there for us. We can’t be everywhere all at once,” said Const. Kelly Brennan. “If you’re not involved, get involved. Start working with your neighbours.” Brennan also offered residents some common sense prevention tips ranging from
not leaving keys and valuables in vehicles to using cameras, fences and dogs. “Those seem to be some great deterrents for what we’re seeing out there. Cameras help us in the prosecution side of things,” he said. Battleford-Lloydminster MP Rosemarie Falk noted Prince Albert MP Randy Hoback just introduced a private-members bill to create a Home Security Tax Credit of up to $5,000 for the installation of a security system on a home, garage or barn. Falk also not ed f ed eral Public Security minister, Bill Blair, turned down her invitation to Marshall to hear some of the real-life tangible frustrations of rural crime and how it’s affecting rural lives and families. “He has promised me a one-on-one meeting, so what I hear tonight I am going to take to him,” she said. Falk says she wants constituents to know she is listening to them using the appropriate channels “so that we can have changes, whether that’s in the criminal code or funding—if I don’t hear, I don’t know,” she said. Brennan says communication is the key for rural residents in order to prevent and report crime along with getting to know who their neigh-
Geoff Lee Meridian Source
Maidstone RCMP Const. Kelly Brennan, left, and Sgt. Jolyne Harrison chatted with a resident following a rural crime information meeting at the Marshall Three Links Community Centre on the evening of Feb. 28.
bours are. Brennan also urges rural residents to tie into the WhatsApp group text message alerts of suspicious activity in their area. “It’s very valuable, it helps us out,” said Brennan. Young said she will continue to advocate for better cell service so rural residents can connect through the Saskatchewan Crime Watch Advisory Network as well as WhatsAPP. “If you don’t have good cell service, it’s pretty tough to ask people to help each other and watch for their neighbours and alert them on WhatsAPP when they can’t
use it,” she said. Young also wants to see changes to the court system to address residents’ frustration with seeing repeated offenders let out of jail. “People see the same people out committing the same crimes and they’re afraid for their lives. Many of those people who are involved in crime are armed, which is something we never saw in the past,” said Young. “People expressed that we need to change laws that have been in the country for 50 years now. Criminals aren’t the same as they were 50 years ago.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 3