(File photo/paNOW)

By Glenn Hicks

crime watch

Ward 6 forms neighborhood watch via social media app

Jun 24, 2019 | 4:00 PM

As we head into summer the south-east corner of Prince Albert is launching their neighborhood watch program, with a little help from social media.

Ward 6 councillor Blake Edwards hosted a community meeting at Carlton Park Hall Sunday night which saw 70 people show up with concerns about crime. It was surprisingly well-attended with Edwards only putting out the word late last week. He said he wanted to inform as many residents as possible about the group’s organizational efforts before summer, as crime is always up in warmer weather and it is far more difficult to bring people together in the summer months.

“Forming the neighborhood watch is great,“ he told paNOW. “We organized a group together and they are all going to be more eyes looking out for crime in the area, and that’s what we need.”

Edwards said the group will be using the relatively new ‘WhatsApp’ social media platform, that some residents had already been engaged with, that will allow them to privately share critical information about crime and suspicious activity quickly. He added though there was not currently a commitment for anyone to actually drive around and patrol the neighborhood

He said having the provincial Safer Communities and Neighborhood (SCAN) investigation unit now set up and running in Prince Albert would also be an added boost in combatting crime.

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“That will help reduce drug and gang houses …and it’s really good, it’s a community coming together to reduce crime.”

The SCAN unit process starts when one or more residents in a neighborhood file a confidential complaint. If there is enough evidence to support the complaint an investigation is launched that could lead to any property being used for illegal activities shut down in 90 days. Such activity could include producing, selling or using illegal drugs, prostitution, solvent abuse, or the unlawful sale and consumption of alcohol.

SCAN unit’s presence gives hope

The province’s Safer Communities and Neighborhood Act also allows for building fortifications that cause safety concerns or exceed reasonable security measures to be removed. These could include barbed wire, and bars on windows and doors.

These new measures are also in place to ensure emergency response personnel can gain access to a property or anyone inside can escape in the event of an emergency.

One of the recent incidents in a spate of crimes lately that has brought the problem into sharper focus was when a man spotted stolen bikes outside Domino’s Pizza early one afternoon. He attempted to take them back only to be confronted by a suspect who allegedly pulled a knife and threatened him. Prince Albert Police released a picture of the suspect.

The Ward 6 neighborhood watch is the latest crime-combatting effort across various parts of the city. Midtown already has such a group and Edwards said there was another one on the West Hill that was forming.

“It’s important for all the neighborhoods to come together to work as a community so we can reduce issues that are happening.”

With files from Andy Cohen

glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow