Pubdate: Fri, 13 Apr 2007
Source: Meridian Booster (CN AB)
Copyright: 2007, The Lloydminster Meridian Booster
Contact:  http://www.meridianbooster.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1590
Author: Christopher Heffernan

STELMACH TALKS TOUGH ON CRIME

Crime fighting has factored prominently on the list of discussion for 
both federal and provincial politicians who have made recent visits 
to the Border City.

Crime fighting has factored prominently on the list of discussion for 
both federal and provincial politicians who have made recent visits 
to the Border City.

In his visit to the city last week, Premier Ed Stelmach addressed the 
increase of crime.

"Lately, there has been just senseless acts of violence and a 
complete lack of respect for life (and) for authority," he said.

In their address on Tuesday afternoon, local MPs Gerry Ritz and Leon 
Benoit said the federal government is doing its part in fighting 
crime by allotting $161 million in the 2007 budget to recruit 1,000 
new RCMP officers.

Sgt. Ken Marchand of the Lloydminster RCMP said the detachment will 
soon receive an addition of two plain-clothes officers, which he 
hopes will allow them to clamp down on drug-related crime.

"When the smoke clears this summer we'll be 31 enforcement officers 
in a city of 25,000, which is going to be within specs for cities of 
this size," he said.

Both police and government officials agree that a new approach is 
needed to effectively combat crime.

Stelmach outlined the creation of a Safer Communities Task Force, a 
new initiative in which a panel of experts in criminal justice, law, 
and community-based prevention will travel the province to gather 
input from Albertans. They will compile the input gathered this 
spring and present a report to the Minister of Justice this summer.

The task force will focus on how communities can play a more active 
role in crime prevention, said David Dear, communications spokesman 
for Alberta Justice, saying the government wants to move beyond the 
traditional approach of simply hiring more police officers, judges, 
and prosecutors.

"We've been doing that but we need to do more," he said. "That's what 
this task force is hoping to get from people."

The government hopes the final report will form a strong part of a 
larger crime reduction strategy, which will be community and prevention based.

"What we want to get at with the task force is solutions from 
Albertans at the grass roots level," said Dear. "To try to prevent 
crime -- not just address it once it's happened -- but prevent it."

Marchand said local police support the viewpoint that crime fighting 
has to be a responsibility of everyone in the community.

"What we need, and we've seen with the Lloydminster Area Drug 
Strategy, is community involvement," he said. "Everyone has a job 
part-time what we do full-time."

Police can't stop all the crime happening in the city without the 
assistance from the community, he said. Whether it be employers 
witnessing drug abuse by employees or parents who know their children 
doing drugs or drinking, everyone has an obligation to help stop 
illegal activity, he said.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman