The MD of Bonnyville has made it their priority to cut back on rural crime, but as they continue to pursue the issue on their end, they’re asking residents to do the same.
Last week, the MD announced their peace officers would be offering free Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Assessments (CPTED), where an officer would attend a business, farm, or acreage in the MD, and provide tips on how to make their property less appealing to criminals.
“The officers will come to your residence and look over mostly the exterior, and give you an assessment. It will be a list of some of the good points, and some of the areas we recommend you fix or come up with a different method for,” explained MD director of public safety Chris Garner. “CPTED isn’t only about crime prevention, it’s also about maintenance and keeping things looking good.”
Rural crime prevention has been one of the MD’s prime focuses. Reeve Greg Sawchuk hopes residents and business owners will take advantage of the free program.
“It’s part of our three-pronged approach at trying to solve this crime problem. The first part of it is prevention, that’s where this program comes into play. It’s a proactive service where we can go out and try to help the residents, farmers, and business owners... If we can take away the opportunity for these criminals to commit the crime, that’s the first part of it,” he stressed.
CPTED assessments are nothing new. In fact, Garner said, studies have shown they’re a proven crime prevention tactic.
“The nice thing about this program is it gives us a chance to talk to residents one-on-one, which we don’t often get a chance to do. We can customize our recommendations to individuals who may be experiencing a certain problem,” Garner said. “It’s a proven way to deter crime. This isn’t a new thing, it has been in effect for a long time, and studies have been done that show they’re an effective deterrent.”
In particular, officers are looking at five key components: natural surveillance, natural access control, territoriality, maintenance, and lighting.
The assessment takes about an hour, give or take, Garner said.
“If you’re a large business, it will probably take longer, for a typical residence, it will probably take an hour or so to have the officer walk around with you.”
This visit won’t be the officer’s only drop-in, however. They will also stop by after dark to take a look at your property from another perspective.
By scoping out your residence or business twice, officers are hoping to identify areas that could be improved.
“Natural surveillance means if you have a really high fence, lots of brush, or even trees around your residence. It’s nice for you as a person, but it also makes a criminal feel very comfortable in there, because they know once they’re inside, no one can see what they’re doing,” he continued, adding mechanical surveillance is things like cameras, or equipment.
Using landscaping to create natural barriers and paths falls under the natural access control category, with territoriality including fencing, trees, and Rural Crime Watch signage.
Keeping your lights and cameras in working order, and ensuring your home and outbuildings are painted and well looked after were also some tips provided by peace officers.
For more information, or to book an appointment, contact the MD of Bonnyville.
