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Red Deer residents urged to play a role in crime prevention

Get to know your neighbours
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Red Deer RCMP encourage residents to join the #9PMRoutine to protect their property. (Image contributed)

Telling neighbours about travel plans, reporting suspicious behaviour, and locking all doors at night will help reduce neighbourhood crime in the summer, say Red Deer RCMP.

Red Deer Cpl. Karyn Kay said people going away on the long weekend, or for extended vacations, should contact their neighbours before they leave.

“The biggest thing is telling your neighbour that you aren’t there. The safest community is where your neighbours know each other,” Kay said.

In the spring, Red Deer RCMP launched #9PMRoutine to encourage residents to get into an evening habit that includes removing valuables from vehicles before locking them, checking that all house doors are locked, shutting all house windows and turning on an exterior light.

She said it’s good advice, especially in the summer when windows my be left open, or bikes left outside.

“We think it’s a really good program because everyone plays a role in crime prevention and everyone’s responsible. You have to do your part. It takes just a few minutes.

“We know that property crimes are mostly preventable and that they are crimes of opportunity.”

She said criminals will take whatever they can, and fast.

“They break a car window, grab your change, and are out of there before you even know it happened.”

Related:

‘Crime is way up,’ says Red Deer crime victim

WATCH: Red Deer crime-mapping tool aimed at reducing wrongdoing

Kay said it’s also important for people to call police when they see something suspicious, such as someone riding a bike down the back alley at 3 a.m., or a suspicious vehicle in the area.

Telephone calls direct officers to where they are needed, and provide data to pinpoint crime hot spots, she said.



szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com

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