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Millarville residents raise rural crime issues with minister

Concerns about light sentences for offenders, 9-1-1 raised at meeting
WW-ruralcrimemeeting
Alberta Justice Minister Kaycee Madu speaks to an audience of approximately 35 people at a rural crime town hall meeting at the Millarville Ag Grounds hall on July 20. He is joined by Highwood MLA RJ Sigurdson, left, and Banff-Kananaskis MLA Miranda Rosin. (Bruce Campbell, Okotoks Today)

Victims of rural crime in the Millarville area told the Alberta Justice Minister loudly and clearly that harsher penalties are needed for those who commit break-ins and other offences. 

“Three years ago, we got robbed – twice — in aggregate about $75,000 worth of stuff,” Marshall Abbott told Minister Kaycee Madu at a rural crime town meeting at the Millarville Ag Grounds on July 20. “This guy (a repeat offender) got a fancy lawyer, went through eight adjournments in court and ultimately got five days in jail...  

“We have to stop this revolving door, we need to put guys away for more than five days.” 

Madu agreed.  

“The repeat offenders — the revolving door problem — it is a huge problem,” Madu told the approximately 35 people in attendance. “I have had discussions with the head of judicial – chief justice of court of appeal, the chief justice of provincial court, I have communicated with them to explain the importance of making sure we fix this problem.” 

One of the residents, who did not wish to be named, took exception to the criminal breaking into the Abbotts’ home, getting five days.  

“Your title is the justice minister and that is anything but justice,” he said. “To me that is appalling.” 

Madu said he understands rural – and Alberta — residents’ frustrations. 

“Catching criminals, releasing them back to our communities does nothing to help the cause of justice,” Madu said. “It creates anger... I can relate with the frustration of people who live in rural communities when they feel their government is not doing anything to address the primary concerns that have been brought to their attention... I will be very disappointed if I haven’t fixed this problem before I am done with this office.”  

Madu said the Province has been able to help fight rural crime with the implementation of the Rural Alberta Provincial Integrated Defence (RAPID) Response initiative. The initiative allows sheriffs and fish and wildlife officers to assist police during emergency and high-priority calls. The program went into effect with fish and wildlife officers on April 1 and with the sheriffs on July 1.   

RCMP Superintendent Gordon Sage said it has been putting a dent in rural crime with elite members in the Crime Reduction team.  

“If we have a problem in one area we take this team and we take them to that area and the success we have had is phenomenal,” Sage said. “We have bait trailers, we have bait quads that we set up in areas... We have the ability to get the search warrants, do surveillance on them to shut them down.”  

Sage said rural crime has gone down in the past 18 months, which he said may also be related to the pandemic.  

“You have to ask yourself, how much has COVID had an effect on that because people are home,” Sage said. “Crime is definitely down, but is it a true reduction or is it because of COVID?” 

911 emergency response was also a concern .

“When I had a problem at my place, I called the RCMP directly in Turner Valley and they were there in 10 minutes — absolutely spectacular,” George Preston from the Millarville area told Madu. “I had another issue where I had an injured relative by the river ford. I tried to get an ambulance, they couldn’t find it.  

“The 911 system is out of whack. They need to put it back in the local area. 

“I don’t mind if my taxes go to the 911 system, if it is protecting me.” 

Foothills County Reeve Suzanne Oel said the 9-1-1 has been a long-time concern with her and the municipality. 

“There is just so much of a problem with fragmentation of it,” Oel said. "We are very unhappy with the EMS dispatch part going to AHS (Alberta Health Services) and we have been beating that drum for a long time.”  

She said the County has increased police presence in the rural area. 

“With Foothills County we went from hiring the extra boots on the ground with what is we called Enhanced Policing to a new configuration, the Foothills County Rural Policing Plan,” Oel said. “They have taken resources from the rural component (of High River, Okotoks, Turner Valley) and they now work together as a team into two zones for 24/7 policing.” 

Oel said the rural component, under the direction of Turner Valley Staff Sgt. Laura Akitt, will not impact the urban components of the detachments.  

There is also improved radio communication between municipal enforcement officers and RCMP, Oel said. 

Madu said the possibility of a provincial police force could increase police presence in rural areas.  

“We are deploying all available provincial resources to tackle this problem,” Madu said in an interview scrum. “We need the federal government to walk with us to solve this problem. At the end of the day, I want a police force that is made in Alberta, for the people of Alberta, a police force that is cost-effective and allows us to hire Albertans who are very familiar with the various communities and rural communities.”  

A day after the meeting, Abbott wasn’t sure his concerns had been addressed. 

“At the end of the day, are we going to see increased security in the rural area? I don’t think so,” Abbott said. “I have been robbed twice and I haven’t seen any increased presence.  

“Minister Madu, I am sure he means well, but I think the big issue is the revolving door. There is no deterrent for those guys.” 

Abbott added he is also concerned about the cost of a provincial police force, the finances of which were not discussed at the meeting.

The meeting was hosted by Highwood MLA RJ Sigurdson, and Banff-Kananaskis MLA Miranda Rosin was also in attendance. The area north of Secondary Highway 549 and west of Highway 22 is Rosin's riding. 

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