Evicting tenants can effectively reduce crime: Police Chief
Prince Albert’s police chief sided with Mayor Greg Dionne when he said evicting the tenants from nuisance properties can be an effective way to reduce crime and clean up neighbourhoods.
Chief Troy Cooper said nuisance properties create a significant ongoing drain on police resources. While police and bylaw officers try to work with the owners and managers of problem properties to find effective ways to curb the issues, Cooper said moving people out often forces them to change their behavior and can be a good step towards improving public safety.
“If you have a problem tenant, and you move that tenant, it doesn’t just shift the problem,” Cooper said. “It actually reduces the likelihood that they’ll continue to be a problem.”
Evictions are an effective deterrent, Cooper said, because forcing people out of a nuisance property lets them know destructive behaviour will not be tolerated and often leads to change.