By Ryan Pilon

Prince Albert looking to Scotland for crime prevention

Nov 19, 2010 | 12:48 PM

Prince Albert police are off to Europe to take a cue from Scotland on crime prevention.

According to Chief Dale McFee, with the Prince Albert Police Service, crime continues to grow in Prince Albert. If it continues at this rate, he said their calls for service will double in eight years.
That isn’t manageable, so city leaders are looking to change that trend.

Eleven representatives from the Prince Albert Police Service, RCMP, Prince Albert Parkland Health Region, the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division, the Regional and Sectorial Committee, and the provincial government are leaving for Scotland tomorrow for six days.

There, they will learn from Glasgow's established violence reduction unit, which was created in 2005. Over the past five years, it has successfully reduced crime in the area by focusing on prevention.

“What we are hoping to get out of Scotland and out of that area and out of this trip with the leaders we are sending is proven evidence-based research and data that can be supplemented to our plan that can teach us the do’s and don’ts going forward,” said McFee.

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Alan Nunn with the Sask River School Division said the agencies need to learn how to work together to help divert people from a life of crime.

“Community mobilization, that was a plan started by the chief of police, but it isn't a police plan.  And for this to move forward, for this to have an impact, we have to make sure all the agencies, all the partners, all the stakeholders are involved,” Nunn said. 

McFee said it will cost $3,300 per member to go.  Most of the organizations raised the money themselves, while the police service received money externally. 

McFee believes the money will be well worth it if they can learn how to work together to reduce crime in Prince Albert and area.

rpilon@panow.com