Spring Time; Crime Time
At the March 9th AGM meeting held at Priddis Greens, the RCMP warned of higher crime rates in the warmer months. As predictable as bears coming out of hibernation.
While there is still crime in the winter, car thefts made easy because people leave them running while they run a “quick” errand. It doesn’t take an Einstein to know that you move up the ladder of theft probabilities when you engage in such behaviour.
As with the changing of the earthly seasons, crime has its seasons too. Winter is vehicle theft season, summer is everything-else-theft season. Armed with this knowledge, what can you do about improving your odds of NOT being a victim of crime?
The first and most basic thing you need to do is make the mental shift acknowledging a couple of realities. One is criminals are going to be more prevalent and active. Two, you are more liable to leave stuff out for criminals to swipe.
Another basic tenet you need to follow is “Do the Right Thing” if you want to decrease your chances of being a victim. It is no different from doing the right thing for diet, exercise, finances, etc. It’s usually the little things done daily that add up to big things in the end. (e.g. keep the gate secured/lock the door at night.)
One of the things that makes living in a rural area different from living in an urban environment is that out here criminals need to drive to get around. What are they seeing when they drive past your property? Are there easy pickings lying around, is the gate locked, a dog(s) present, security cameras and warning signs posted.
It is important to report suspicious vehicles. Police will investigate them. At the Foothills County Policing Committee, we receive stats on how many suspicious vehicles they investigate – it’s a crime category.
Most suspicious vehicles are benign, but some are very valuable crime “scenes”. Vehicles are a choke point for rural thieves, their Achilles heel. It’s basically their mode of access into our world. In contrast with urban settings, there are a significantly smaller number of vehicles on our rural roads so the chances of discovery of inappropriate vehicles are higher. A fact in our favour.
Even if they don’t catch a thief in the act, police can stop a vehicle and potentially discover individuals with arrest warrants, B & E tools, stolen property in the back seat or the trunk, drugs and other evidence of crime. How many times have you seen news articles where routine traffic stops result in the discovery of the above-mentioned items?
In the warmer months people leave the garage door open more often and for longer periods of time. A couple of things are happening in this situation: one is you’re advertising. Look at all this nice stuff I’ve got in my garage – like an Eaton’s window display; second, it’s a quickie for thieves. You bring the lawnmower out, cut the front grass, then go around the house/outbuildings to cut the back all the while leaving a yawning garage display tempting potential thieves.
At the AGM, on at least two occasions people complained about specific traffic problems. The first question officers asked in return was “did you call it in?” Both times the answer was no. How are police supposed to know about a problem if you don’t bring it to their attention?
Police want to hear about these situations. That’s their job and they need your help in determining the problem spots. Ordinary citizens can be very significant additional eyes and ears for the police. Observe, Record, Report is the universal Rural Crime Watch mantra.
Police and the county will also use various methods to try to assess troublesome areas such as employing “Armadillos”. An armadillo is a black box beside the highway/road that uses lasers to record each vehicle going by. It’s direction, speed, time of day, etc. It cannot read licence plates, but the data can alert them to areas needing their attention.
Do not approach suspicious vehicles. Rather get as many facts about the situation as possible – the time, description of the vehicle, licence plate number, specific location. The police will do their part. They are the ones with the training and authority, the body armor, weapons, and body cameras.
It’s tough to beat Canadian summers with the nice temperatures and long daylight hours. Enjoy the summer but keep your guard up against the unsavory things that may come with it.
Dave Schroeder
HCRCWA Board Member
Free Classifieds