Spike in rural property crime hitting home for local family

Laverne said it’s left his family feeling a sense of unease, especially since the thefts came while both were at home in the evening.

“You’re wondering are you even safe in your house?” said Gill. “Are they just going to work on the buildings and things you can’t see, or when are they moving into the house next? So, yeah we’re afraid.”

Rural property crime continues to spike in western Canada, with some owners recently taking matters into their own hands to protect their property.

An Okotoks man is facing charges after pointing and shooting a firearm at an alleged suspect last month, while the Colten Boushie case continues to spark national debate surrounding property rights.

Redcliff RCMP detachment commander Shaun Maxwell said confronting a suspect can often lead to unwanted escalation.

“I’m not telling people that they have to let [these] sort of things happen,” said Maxwell. “But, confronting people that are involved in this sort of thing, it’s always an unknown as to how they’re going to react.”

According to Redcliff RCMP, they investigated 84 reports of property crime in Cypress County in the last quarter of 2017, compared to just 24 cases in the first quarter of that year.

Covering one of the largest areas in southern Alberta, the Redcliff detachment’s 14 officers go as far north as Jenner, past Suffield to the west, and to the Saskatchewan and U.S. borders.

Gill believes some owners are considering drastic measures with police covering large territories and possibly stretched thin.

“Often times, they’re not able to get here for 20 minutes or half an hour,” he said. “And, I mean that’s a long time when you’re sitting and worrying.”

MP Glen Motz is a member of a provincial rural crime task force involving 12 federal MPs, and said it’s something he’s heard from many constituents over the last few months.

“The RCMP response is slow, very slow, they have limited resources,” said Motz. “So, there’s a lot of things that can be done to improve a lot of the frustrations that our property owners feel.”

Motz added this could include hiring more officers if money allows or re-deploying those already with the Redcliff detachment.

It’s an idea that Gill is in support of, but added might not be in the realm of possibility for the Redcliff detachment.

“I think we need more officers on the street,” he said. “And, those guys are doing a great job, but their hands are tied too.”

“I haven’t had any specific talks with anybody about that,” said Maxwell. “We’ve got a good sized detachment here, and members are out and about.”

Meanwhile, the County of 40 Mile will be hosting meetings in Bow Island and Etzikom on Thursday to discuss forming their own rural crime watch.

Gill said they’ve replaced locks and are considering installing cameras, but added there’s only so much they can do to keep criminals out.

“To what extend do we have to arm ourselves to protect our belongings, and ourselves?” he said. “Like I said, we’re scared. We’ve had talks just with our own family, if it happens again what are we prepared to do?”

Thursday’s meetings for the County of 40 Mile will be held at 3:30 pm in the Bow Island Provincial Building and at 6:30 pm at the Etzikom Community Hall.

As for the Gills, they said they’re grateful to the RCMP for recovering both their truck and ATV, and are continuing to search for the stolen tools.

by Scott Roblin

Spike in rural property crime hitting home for local family

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