About

What We Do:

Our Crime Prevention Program Consists of the Following Activities:

Membership from rural residents that undergo a criminal background check to act as additional eyes and ears to local law enforcement departments in reporting crime or suspicious activity
Members post Rural Crime Watch signage to create a visual presence to the Crime Prevention program and their participation
GPDRCWA executive holds community meetings to educate, inform, and assist community residents in the methods to prevent or deter crime
Rural Crime Watch collaborates with local RCMP, County Enforcement, Fish & Wildlife, other community Crime Prevention Groups, and the Provincial Rural Crime Watch Association to remain informed re current crime prevention information and strategies
Rural Crime Watch operates a fan out system utilizing phone and email to share crime related information so the membership can look out for suspicious activity and report it to law enforcement
Rural Crime Watch provides information to community residents to assist with understanding which emergency responder or contact to call in certain situations (example: Report a Poacher)
Grande Prairie District Rural Crime Watch Association works along with it’s neighbouring associations in Grovedale and Beaverlodge

Rural Crime Watch Zones:

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Mission Statement:

Grande Prairie District Rural Crime Watch Association works collaboratively with law enforcement to prevent crime through education, information and presence in rural communities.

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Purpose:

GPDRCWA is proactive in rural crime prevention through meetings and information sessions throughout the County. Members are encouraged to be an extra set of eyes and ears for law enforcement, reporting suspicious activities which can deter, prevent or stop criminal activity.

History

A number of county residents met in 1983 to start the formation of a rural crime watch organization. This was accomplished and the Grande Prairie Rural Crime Watch was registered in 1984. There were 6 zones, 4 in the county, Grovedale and Debolt. Grovedale has since formed their own organization therefore there is no zone 5 in Grande Prairie Rural Crime Watch Association.

There was a high membership of 350 for a few years in the 1980’s but that number stabilized at about 250 members through the 1990’s. Membership again dropped about 2004 and by 2006 there were only 40 paid up members.

There was a new executive installed in 2010 and with a lot of support the membership is now over 400 members. There have been many changes, the first was a change out of the old Phone fan out. The old system was a Big Mouth System that dialed each call and it would take 2.5 days to complete one fan-out. The executive researched for a better system and found Dial-My-Calls. This system dials 1200 calls per minute.

An e-mail and website were added to make a full package for a fan-out system. The website was free so somewhat limited in content and applications. Now in 2016 we are updating our website and improving the e-mail site.

Our objectives remain the same, keep our members informed on the crime in the area, keep everyone up to date on enforcement policies and procedure, and ask everyone to report to enforcement about the criminal activities in your area.

Past Presidents of Grande Prairie District Rural Crime Watch:

Ted Meen Calvin Conrad
Fred Dobbyn Ed Kimpe
Fred Mason Vic Kimpe
Joe Mickleberry Bert Delaney
Gord Mackey Cindy Mackay-Perry