Grande Prairie RCMP managed to track down five stolen vehicles in the last week of August. Constable Melanie McIntosh says they were found in five different parts of the city between August 25th and September 1st and a total of 10 people were arrested.
More than 27 criminal charges have been laid against the suspects, ranging from failing to comply with conditions to possession of a prohibited weapon. The vehicles were found by the City’s Crime Reduction Unit.
“CRU focuses on identifying repeat offenders, conducting targeted enforcement initiatives and addressing the root causes of crime,” says McIntosh. “Each of these incidents is a successful example of a focused crime reduction strategy in our community.”
The district-level Crime Reduction Units were created by the Alberta RCMP in February as a way to focus on repeat offenders. It’s a strategy the organization says is working, as they have made over 500 arrests, leading to more than 1,600 charges.
“Midway through the first year of implementing our Crime Reduction Strategy, property crime is down across the province,” says Deputy Commissioner Todd Shean, Commanding Officer of the Alberta RCMP. “As the rural police force of Alberta, we are committed to ensuring this trend continues in every category in every community throughout Alberta.”
The province also launched a Crime Reduction Strategy in March. Mounties say since then, property crimes other than fraud, mischief and arson have gone down nine percent compared to the same period last year across Alberta RCMP detachments.