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Community mobilization model heading south

Sep 27, 2012 | 5:19 PM

Prince Albert’s community mobilization model is heading south and making its international mark this weekend.

From Sept. 29 until Oct. 3 more than 15,000 law and enforcement professionals from across the globe are meeting in San Diego for the annual International Association of Chief of Police (IACP) Conference.

Sgt. Brent Kalinowski with the Prince Albert Police Service will be attending that conference to speak about the community mobilization movement that is currently active in Prince Albert .

“Very early on we knew that what we were doing was bigger than everybody here and now it’s just starting to show that it’s getting not only national attention, but international attention as well,” Kalinowski said.

He said the conference is will be a great networking opportunity.

“You can always learn something else,” he said. “As well we could even make what we are doing better.”

“It’s just the opportunity to spread the word of the good work of what is being done here, putting Prince Albert on the map once again and to show that we do have some innovation not only in this city but in this province that is world renowned.”

“And if it spreads even further, than that validates that even more,” he added.

The community mobilization movement is a policing model that has proven to be successful at reducing crime.

Since it was initiated in Prince Albert crime in the city continues to decline.

So far in 2012 from January to June, the numbers prove that drop. During those six months crime rate has dropped 7.5 per cent, youth crime has dropped 11.5 per cent, youth victimization has dropped 13 per cent and prosecutions are down 18.6 per cent.

“We are responding less, we are charging less and crime is going down so, it kind of supports that we can’t arrest ourselves out of this problem,” Kalinowski said.

“There is less arrests, but yet crime is going down, so we are doing something right but that goes into collaboration with our other partners in social services, education and the rest of the community because it’s a community effort.”

srolles@panow.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow