INCREASE IN POLICE ACTIVITY FOR VULCAN

The Vulcan RCMP is reporting a substantial increase in complaints and
responses over the last two years. Speaking at the Vulcan County
council meeting Feb. 20, Cpl. Larry Wiltshire said Vulcan has moved
up from being the 64th busiest RCMP detachment in the province to the
48th or 49th busiest one, in terms of calls. Alberta has 112 RCMP detachments.

"And if it keeps going up, then we'll need to put another person
here," said Wiltshire. There are currently four officers at the
Vulcan detachment.

While year-end statistics for 2004 or 2005 were not available at
press time, Wiltshire said the average has been between 1,100 and
1,200 calls in recent years, which includes traffic collisions, crime
and other offences. In 2006, the Vulcan detachment logged 1,580 calls.

According to Wiltshire, part of the reason for the increase is that
calls in Vulcan have become consistent throughout the year. In past
years, work was slower during winter months.

The detachment responded to six drug-related calls last year.
Wiltshire said he has become very concerned about drug use in Vulcan
County, including marijuana and magic mushrooms, along with drugs
traditionally associated with cities, like crack cocaine and crystal meth.

Coun. Darryl MacDonald echoed this concern.

"There seems to be such an unknown for these kinds of drugs," said
MacDonald. "We're still rural and probably believe that marijuana is
about the only drug there is in this area. And, unfortunately, that's
not the truth any more."

"So is there any way we can get better awareness out to parents?"
MacDonald asked Wiltshire.

Wiltshire said he would like to bring in presenters from the RCMP's
Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program into area schools and
involve parents in the presentations.

The Vulcan RCMP is also working on a Community Youth Justice Program,
which would focus on restorative justice following a crime, as
opposed to just jail sentences. Wiltshire said seven young people
will take part in the start-up program this summer.

In the coming year, Wiltshire said he also wants to see better
communication between the RCMP and provincial sheriffs, who started
patrolling highways last September. Wiltshire said he wants to avoid
duplicating patrols.

"It would be nice to know they're in our area," he said.

Meanwhile, the Gleichen RCMP detachment, which covers the Mossleigh
and Arrowwood areas, says reports of crime or other activities have
stayed even, or even dropped in areas of Vulcan County that it
covers. There were 70 incidents reported for Mossleigh and six in
Arrowwood in 2006.

Staff Sgt. Bob Gollan of the Gleichen RCMP, who also spoke at last
week's council meeting, said the majority of their calls are on the
Blackfoot Indian Reserve, just north of Vulcan County.

Nevertheless, County councillors said they believe that many thefts
have not been accounted for in the area because many residents are
unwilling to report them. In 2006, the Vulcan RCMP reported 81 cases
of property theft under $5,000, and 16 cases of theft under $5,000.
Gleichen RCMP reported only one case of property theft -- under
$5,000 -- last year.

Gollan agreed that property theft is often underreported in rural areas.

"A lot of people are not reporting these minor crimes because they
believe that the property will be returned," said Gollan after the
meeting. He said many people also believe that courts are too lenient
on those who commit "minor" property theft.

Gollan, who became head of the Gleichen RCMP in September, said he
wants to start a rural Crimewatch program in the area. He said the
goal would be to improve communication and trust between residents and police.

He said reporting theft is worthwhile because all stolen property,
regardless of its value, is added to a national database. Police
regularly check second-hand stores for goods that are reported as stolen.

"By having a rural Crimewatch, we can let the community know that it
is important that we are aware of these smaller thefts," said Gollan.

"And if we don't address the thefts, they're going to continue."

Gollan said his detachment is also focused on reducing traffic
collisions in the area.

Across Canada, the RCMP wants to reduce collisions causing death or
serious injury by 30 per cent by 2010.

The Advocate is working to obtain a detailed comparison of area crime
statistics over the past few years. Results will be published as soon
as possible.