ATHABASCA – No one likes waking up in the morning, walking out to their car to start it, and then realizing that someone rifled through your things because you forgot to lock it the previous night.
In response to multiple thefts, vehicle entries, and break and enters, the Athabasca RCMP are unveiling a new initiative that aims to help prevent these scenarios before they ever happen.
The 9 PM Routine was originally developed by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office in Florida and has since spread across Canada and the U.S.
According to an April 29 press release from Const. Kyle Hotchkiss, the program encourages residents to protect themselves and their loved ones from becoming victims of crime by locking and securing their homes and vehicles at 9 p.m.
Property crime has been a focus for the detachment under the leadership of Staff Sgt. Mark Hall, who says that the routine is another tool in the bag in terms of crime prevention.
“One of our priorities for the area is reducing and intervening on property crime and trying to prevent it before things become an issue. One of the biggest deterrents that we find is simply getting the public to help in this regard,” said Hall.
As part of this program, residents are encouraged to follow this nightly routine once 9 p.m. rolls around: remove keys, wallets, cash, or other valuables from vehicles; ensure that windows are shut and locked; close and lock the doors on vehicles and homes, close overhead garage doors and lock outbuildings; and turn on overhead lights.
“Thieves are generally looking for quick access, and quick opportunities to commit crimes and make a buck. If we can stop that from everybody’s standpoint, it makes it harder to get away with this stuff,” said Hall.
As noted in the release, it’s all about taking the steps to “target harden” your property and getting into the routine of doing it every night.
“These incidents are often crimes of opportunity, where offenders are taking advantage of unsecured property to commit quick thefts,” said Const. Amy Prescott in the release. “Residents can reduce their chances of becoming victims of property crime by following the 9 PM Routine principles and making this a regular part of your evening routine.”
The RCMP are encouraging members of the public to lead by example and share their participation through social media, using the hashtag #9PMRoutine.
Hall said that the impact of the initiative should be felt immediately, but they typically run them for a year, from April 30, 2023 to April 30, 2024.
“We could see an immediate impact from this, but we generally plan these things out for a year,” said Hall. “As part of the quarterly reports, we assess how we’re doing, and if we need to shift our approach to things and target different areas. Every month I’m going through the data with my team, and we’re determining what we need to focus on to impact property crime in the area. The long and the short of it is that we should see an immediate impact as long as we’ve got the community’s participation in making things a lot harder for thieves.”
