CRIME PREVENTION, DRUGS TOP COMMUNITY'S POLICE PRIORITIES

High River residents have rated crime prevention and drug enforcement
as top priorities for policing in the community through a survey
conducted by the Town's policing committee.

The survey identified five priorities for the community: crime
prevention, drug enforcement and education, youth, traffic and family
violence. Crime prevention and drug enforcement ranked number one and
two, respectively, for all age groups.

Al Gillis, committee vice-chairman, said the results confirmed what
the committee had expected.

"It just verified that the community is still thinking in terms of
crime prevention and drug enforcement and education," he said.

The results of the survey were presented to town council at its Oct.
23 meeting.

Fifty-four per cent of respondents said they want the police to focus
their efforts on prevention and 34 per cent want RCMP to focus on
enforcement, with the others wanting a balance of the two.

The survey was distributed earlier this year to adults and high
school students in town. It included questions about what types of
crimes people are most affected by, what activities they would most
like to see police focus on and the proposed school resource officer
position. In total 298 adults and 265 students responded.

Gillis said the priorities of the new community-policing plan
currently under review will be based on the priorities identified in
the survey.

In general, Gillis said, adults thought the police are doing a good
job, but comments included improving response times, drug enforcement
and visibility.

"There's a perception that the police aren't doing something or
aren't around enough. Clearly they are, but they're also doing
investigations or specific tasks," he added. "[People] don't want to
see them at 10 a.m. They want to see them after dark and they want to
see them in neighbourhoods."

Gillis said high school students were asked to participate because
the policing committee wanted to gauge their thoughts on the issue.

"The youth echoed what the adults were saying," he said. "And that
really blew us away."

According to Gillis, youths predominantly raised the issue of drugs
in the survey's comment section.

"They're as adamant as adults - and probably even more so - that they
want enforcement and education on the drug scene. They expect it," he said.

Gillis also said the survey revealed the police need to connect
better with the town's youth.

One way to do this is through a proposed school resource officer, he added.

"It's important we get to the youth and that we do it on their terms.
And, I think a school resource officer is going to work out so well."

The survey included a question rating residents' interest in the
position, with adults rating their level of interest at 7.3 out of 10
and students rating 5.4 out of 10.

Having received the survey results before officially taking the reins
at the High River RCMP detachment, Staff Sgt. Ross Shapka said it
gave him the opportunity to get a sense of what the community was
looking for from its police force.

"It's often difficult to get a feel of what a new community wants.
Here I had that," he said.

Shapka said the top priorities identified in the survey echo those
for most other communities and the RCMP has a number of initiatives
addressing those priorities.

He said police will spend more hours doing "preventative patrols."

According to Shapka, there is a relationship between the number of
hours police spend on patrol with the amount of crime that occurs.

"The less time you spend [on patrol], the more opportunity there is," he added.