Residents will have the chance to voice frustrations and discuss solutions at the Town of Bonnyville crime prevention forum.
Members of various community organizations, including the local RCMP detachment, will be available to answer questions on Monday, April 16.
“This was something identified by council during strategic planning in November. The policing committee has been looking at this type of event, and is proposing we hold a crime forum similar in nature to the one that was held by the MD of Bonnyville,” explained assistant CAO Bill Rogers.
Representatives from the local Citizens on Patrol, Bonnyville Victim Services, and the chair of the policing committee, will join the head of the RCMP General Investigation Section (GIS) unit, and a member from the local RCMP detachment, as speakers.
There's room to add more, but Bonnyville Mayor Gene Sobolewski wants to ensure the right people get the chance to speak, and residents have plenty of time to ask questions.
“I think we have to limit speaking. Last time around, there were talking heads, and there were people that had really good information, particularly the RCMP and victim services,” said Sobolewski. “Politicians can, and should, be there but we don't need to be at the head table.”
A moderator will be assigned to try and keep speeches to an hour, while attendees will have the next 60-minutes to ask questions one-on-one.
Information will be spread out with various statistics supporting each of the presentations.
“I suggest that we have focal boards. If we're going to have people speak, have statistics people can gravitate towards. That way, when we have the mix and mingle, it won't be everybody grouped in the centre around the donuts, they'll be asking questions based on the information,” Sobolewski said.
Council hopes to gain a clear direction on what can be done to solve some of the persistent criminal activity around town, in an effort to ensure residents' concerns aren't falling on deaf ears.
“We need to look at what exactly we want to get out of this. We aren't just there to listen to the public complaining about the crime, we want to be able to take that and go somewhere with it,” expressed Coun. Elisa Brosseau.
After the open forum, council will meet with the policing committee to prioritize issues and begin creating action plans. They hope representatives from the other organizations at the open house will join in the discussion.
“It's an information session, but it's also with an emphasis for direction,” detailed Sobolewski. “It won't just be one group providing information. If somebody asks a question about drugs, the RCMP can answer, and then maybe victim services can give information on other impacts they can have. That way, we can create major dialogue that we can use.”
The time and location of the crime forum has yet to be set.
