A new and innovative resource was rolled out this previous Fall. Crime Mapping is a specialty website where you can access information about local crime. You will find a map on the site with icons that represent a variety of crimes including,

Mischief

Break and Enter

Theft

Theft of a Motor Vehicle

Missing Person

The map allows you to see crimes that have occurred over the past 2 weeks. Being aware of trends and occurrence of crime is helpful for everyone to learn about crime in our region and take steps to prevent crime.

GRANDE PRAIRIE DISTRICT

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

APRIL 17, 2019

@

DeBolt Centre

37 Alberta Ave.

DeBolt, AB.

Doors open @ 6:00pm

Meeting @ 6:45 pm

Watch our web page for further information

&/or listen for our fan outs

Coffee & Crooked Creek doughnuts

Everyone Welcome!

Keeping your home safe from
break‐ins during the Christmas season:
• Keep any ladders used for putting lights up away from the home so
criminals cannot use them to climb up to your windows
• Do not display gifts in a window or doorway
• Properly dispose of gift packaging and boxes. Do not leave these outside for
all to see, as this will advertise the contents of your home to thieves. Put
inside garbage bags or take directly to recycling depots.

When sending gifts
• Do not send cash in the mail
• Communicate with your recipient to ensure they are expecting a parcel
• When sending a gift or gift card, consider using registered mail or a courier
service so parcels can be tracked and insured

Mailbox Safety

• if expecting parcels at your door, make sure to track item or be aware of when it will arrive
• check your community mailbox frequently

Making donations to canvassers
for charities.
• Ask for legitimate identification – only donate to registered charities.
• Contact the Canada Revenue Agency to see if the charity is registered at
http://www.cra‐arc.gc.ca/charities/
• If you are approached by someone suspicious, call police
• Do not feel pressure to donate right away – ask for information on how you
can donate at a later time

Parking Safety over Christmas:

Park in well‐lit, traveled areas

• Keep valuables and gifts out of site in the trunk, and do not to leave them in
the vehicle for long periods of time
• Don’t leave your keys in the car while it is running
• Use a steering‐wheel lock and/or car alarm to make your vehicle less
attractive to thieves

Battery theft is a problem in our area.

Here are three effective and simple ways to decrease the likelihood of battery theft:

1. Location. Batteries that are not accessible are much more difficult to steal. Often thieves will move on to easier targets if stealing yours presents too much of a challenge. Always park inside when it is an option, but if not see the next suggestion…
2. Visibility. A thief will be drawn towards a target that is hidden from traffic or the view of dwellings, as well as a target that is not well-lit. Ensure your vehicle is parked in a well-lit area and also in location where you can see it (also your neighbors line-of-site as well, the more eyes the better).
3. Join your local Crime Watch or Neighborhood Watch program…people who are connected to and know their neighbors are often able to stop suspicious activity from escalating to crime, and when crime does happen, areas with an active neighborhood are much more likely to catch offenders after the fact (and recover stolen property).

Three additional things:

• GPCrime Watch sells Trace Pens…a special marker that puts an nearly undetectable identifying chip on property. Please contact us for more information.
• ALWAYS REPORT EVERY CRIME, INCLUDING EVERY THEFT, NO MATTER HOW UNIMPORTANT IT SEEMS. When crime goes unreported, police are not able to observe patterns or allocate their resources to where they are needed effectively.
• There has been incidences of people had their battery stolen….more than once. The culprit steals a battery and then knowing the owner likely replaced the battery with a new one (and therefore thinking it would be a one-time event) returns again within a couple of weeks and steals the new battery.

Carriage Lane Crime Spree April 2018

In the Carriage Lane Subdivision. 65 mailboxes, 7 parcel compartments broken in to on April 5th (wee hours) Reported to Canada Post and the RCMP.

Break in #1 at 02;45 Am April 5th. Garage door openers taken out of vehicles and used to access the garage. It has been reported to the RCMP. Perps still in possession of garage door openers. Does not appear that they took anything else.

Break In #2 wee hours on April 5th. Went through vehicles and took garage door openers which the perps still have in their possession. Opened the garage door, but resident closed it immediately and they took off.

It is recommended residents do their due diligence in regards to locking vehicles, using the lock option on their garage door panels, arming their security systems etc.

We ask anyone who may have seen anything suspicious around this time or area please report to the RCMP. Also we ask members if they know neighbours who are not members of the Rural Crime Watch, it may be a good idea to mention membership in our organization as a way to crime reduction. The more eyes and ears we have aware of the activities in the area the better the chances of someone seeing something that will assist authorities in curbing these crimes.

Additionally, the Zone 3 Meeting and Symposium will be held on Sat. April 14th at the Calvin Kruk Auditorium, 10401 – 10th Street, Dawson Creek, B.C.

The Zone meeting will be at 11:00 am followed by lunch and the symposium will have two quest speakers and run from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.

There is no charge for this and everyone is welcome. There are some going from Grande Prairie and if you require a ride please leave a message with your phone number on the GPDRCWA phone line and we will try to accommodate

An article from the RCMP website, click here for complete article

What is it?

The Auxiliary Program was introduced in 1963 to enhance community policing and crime prevention initiatives. Auxiliaries give their time to help keep our communities safe, and the RCMP values these volunteers greatly and considers them a vital part of the organization.

Who can join?

Auxiliaries are unarmed, specially trained volunteers. They must be at least 19 years of age, and willing to commit to the program for a minimum of two years.

What’s new?

The RCMP is implementing changes to the Program aimed at keeping our Auxiliaries safer. These changes include national training standards, a new, more identifiable uniform, and three different Tiers of service for provinces to choose from.

Activities:

These vary from province to province, but can include:

• Public safety education
• Crime prevention initiatives
• Assisting at major events
• Traffic control
• General duty operational patrols with Regular Members