It’s been a quiet month in the High Country, our Utopia out here on the edge of the prairie somewhere west of Calgary. Last month I suggested that crime in this area, while not absent, is substantially and statistically lower than in the previous decade and lower than in other regions of Canada. We live in a paradise and rely on our rural values of integrity, reliability and helping neighbours. A quick internet search on crime statistics in July revealed no reports of breaking and entering offenses here. Rural Crime Watch is working! There were some incidents about motorcycles—one of which involved a woman driving 224 km/h in a 90 km/h zone—but nothing more nefarious.
We live in a spectacularly beautiful area of Canada that is enjoyed by cyclists, runners, nature photographers, and sightseers from everywhere. We have unique summertime events such as the weekly Millarville Farmers Market. We have year-round family fun at the Granary Road Active Learning Park and Market. This past Saturday, July 13, saw the fifty-seventh annual Christ Church Flower Festival in Millarville. The church and grounds were adorned with flowers from parishioners and loved ones. Tea and sconces were served.
Something else that we often take for granted until someone else points it out: for three weeks last month, my wife and I enjoyed the company of a spry, 93-year old relative from Indiana. We travelled throughout Alberta, and she continually remarked on how our roads are in so much better shape than those in the U.S., where the infrastructure is crumbling.
As rural dwellers, we balance our appreciation of space, quiet and privacy for the need to work together to deter crime. That is the focus of this August column.
It is vacation time, which means we must be cognizant of how to keep our homes safe while we are away. Here are a few tips:
Make it appear as if you were home:
✓ Put lights on timers
✓ Ask someone to pick up your mail, packages, and newspapers
✓ Make sure valuables (laptops, chequebooks, money, etc.) are not visible through windows
✓ Lock your vehicle (and never keep valuables in plain sight)
Never use social media to announce you are away. Share your vacation after you return.
Such small efforts, coupled with vigilance and reporting suspicious activities, deter crime.
We are stronger when we work together. Let us not forget the three elements of the ORR Mantra.
O is for Observe:
Since thieves must drive to rural areas, be sure to report any of the following:
- A vehicle parked on roadway or entrances to fields — especially with no apparent purpose.
- Unknown or unexpected vehicles, trailers or individuals on private properties or in abandoned yards
- A vehicle driving slowly in the area and not entering any residence, especially when observed in separate locations
- Vehicles parked in areas that are hard to see
- License plates that appear deliberately obscured
- Abandoned vehicles
- Vehicles that hurry off upon being observed
R is for Record:
Record as much information as possible. Pictures and descriptions of people and vehicles (make, model, colour, and license number) are valuable. Also important is the location where a situation occurred, by GPS coordinates if you can get them. Keep a simple written record of details for follow-up.
The second R is for Report:
Call 911 or 403.933.4262. Immediately report any suspicious activity to the RCMP. Even if you are in doubt, report it. Leave it to the experts to decide if action is needed.
Being a member of a Rural Crime Watch Association is an excellent way to stay informed. If you are not already a member of a Rural Crime Watch Association, you should join one. Thanks to the work of a few volunteers and a grant from Legacy Oil, membership in the HCRCWA brings these advantages:
- It is free.
- Members have no obligations.
- Members receive regular notices of criminal activity in our area. The information we publish regularly in this column is but a small fraction of the news circulated more frequently to our membership about crime in this area.
- New members who live in our area get a free High Country Rural Crime Watch Association sign.
- We often have free tutorial presentations on how best to protect your property.
To join, phone us at 403.931.2407 or visit our website for membership applications, tips, resources, and emergency phone numbers: www.hcrcwa.ca. Our Facebook page has more information: www.facebook.com/HighCountryRuralCrimeWatch.
So that’s the news from the High Country where all the grown-ups are young, and all the children are wiser than their parents.
John Robin (‘J.R.’) Allen
Membership Coordinator, H.C.R.C.W.A.
www.hcrcwa.ca
