MARCH 3, 2021
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Catch and Release of Repeat Offenders Jeopardizing Public Safety ing an app. “It’s a free app on your phone and the police are going to endorse it. And we’ll Policing and public safety is something the know about any criminal activity that is hapTown of Vegreville discussed at length during pening around us. Even when you’re moving council’s February 22 meeting. through Alberta you can turn on Councillor Ann Waters stated, “I your app and you will know in the know we’re frustrated seeing the town you go through if there’s a same people time and again in crime being committed right now.” and out of jail, the repeat offendMacPhee said they hope to bring ers. I can only imagine the frustraforward more information regardtion of the RCMP. They’re seeing ing that and the Community the same thing, for lack of a better Impact Statement Program in the term, the catch and release.” next couple of meetings of town Coun. Waters said she felt the council. Community Impact Statement MacPhee stated during a teleProgram would be important to phone interview that he’s brought ANN WATERS have and utilize in the Town of up the catch and release issue Vegreville. She also hope’s it’s not before with the Minister of Justice one of those programs the governand Solicitor General Kaycee ment introduces and does not folMadu. “I wrote to the Justice low up on. Minister and he’s basically told me Councillor Marielle Brodziak that there’s nothing that the agreed. “We definitely need to Province can do, which is hogwash. look into that, to start doing that, We are going to read those comso our community is heard and munity impact statements and how this is impacting our commuwe’re going to read them when nity.” their hearing comes up and try Councillor Tina Warawa conconvince the judges that these curred, and would like the Province MARIELLE BRODZIAK people are not good for our comto provide more information as munity, and that’s what we’re doing well as demonstrate how they can right now. implement the program at the He went on to say, “We’re no diflocal level. Coun. Waters added, ferent than any other municipality. “I’d be curious to see how that rolls We are all seeing the same thing out.” and we’re getting a little tired of it, Mayor Tim MacPhee informed and it’s going to come to a powder members of council that he is keg pretty soon within our comworking with Community Services munity. Director Phil Rowe on what the I brought it up before that we’re best approach would be in consulseeing the same criminals, but tation with local RCMP. their charges are going up, and TINA WARAWA They are also talking about havnow they’re almost always attached Michelle Pinon News Advertiser
with a firearms charge. So, no matter what it has not been working, releasing them, releasing them. They’re still committing the same crimes. They’re still selling the same drugs. The only thing now is that they are carrying loaded weapons. And if the Justice Department of the Province wants to use, hide behind some federal laws or blame it on the feds, when we know the best approach is to fix it yourself. Waiting for another level of government to fix the problem for you is never a good solution.” Tim MacPhee While it’s not the normal job of a municipality to worry about this, MacPhee said, it is becoming a large problem in our community. “People are getting scared. People are getting nervous. Something bad is going to happen if we have this element freely going in and out of the community whenever they want, and they know that there’s going to be no punishment other than a couple of days in jail and longer probation. They get longer probation and the next day they are breaking their probation. There’s no consequences and that’s the problem.”
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