Ward 8 Councillor Ted Zurakowski is very excited about the launch of a new West Hill WhatsApp group. (Submitted photo/Ted Zurakowski)

By Nigel Maxwell

Technology

West Hill residents offered new crime fighting app

Nov 8, 2021 | 12:00 PM

Residents in Prince Albert’s West Hill neighbourhood have a new tool at their fingertips to help report crime.

The WhatsApp group already has over 100 subscribers. Ward 8 Councilor Ted Zurakowski was pleased with the early response.

“It’s that old school sharing of information that’s really valuable and in this day and age of COVID it’s really tough to talk to your neighbour, so the WhatsApp group has been really helpful,” he said.

The success and usefulness of online neighbourhood watch groups have been applauded by the Prince Albert Police Service. Zurakowski explained it’s exciting when there’s a blink or buzz on your phone.

“It’ll go house by house, street by street, and it gets tracked and people are describing a suspicious activity and then all of a sudden the conversation ends and the police are on scene taking the suspects away,” he said.

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Zurakowski explained the West Hill neighbourhood watch group really wants to build a closer relationship with police and to do that must be able to provide reliable and consistent information. That’s why he cautioned the app is not a social gathering place.

“It’s about what’s going on, what you are seeing outside your front window, what you are seeing in the back alley,” he said.

Zurakowski encouraged anyone wishing to join the neighbourhood watch group to contact him through social media and he will in turn help get them logged on to the WhatsApp group.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell