The Athabasca and Boyle rural crime watch organizations have joined together to form the Boyle & Districts Crime Watch Association.
Peace officer for Athabasca County, Terry Jordan, has been named as an executive.
Jordan said that although Athabasca has their own crime watch organization, the declining numbers made joining forces desirable.
“We didn’t amalgamate, but we’ve done Boyle and district, and what we’re doing is trying to help out in Athabasca to assist where we can,” he said.
For a while the Boyle Crime Watch didn’t have a record keeper, so Jordan is trying to sort through the mess of papers.
“It fell into a state of disarray,” he said. “We didn’t have a dedicated membership officer dealing with memberships as they came in, so the records are in a poor state.”
Members of the Crime Watch Association receive emails and phone messages on events occurring in their area.
“Usually it will be information released by the RCMP involving criminal activity that is going on, it could be an announcement of road closures, or it could be an upcoming event,” Jordan said.
The machine used is a type of auto dialer, which enables a message to be recorded and sent out to members. The messages can be sent to specific areas, director members, or as a mass notification. The machine used to be housed at the two police stations in Athabasca and Boyle, but now it is at Athabasca County’s office.
“Where the county comes in is they’ve provided space in the office, and IT support,” Jordan said. “The county is eventually going to be working and developing their own emergency system.”
A strong crime watch organization translates to a stronger community, according to Jordan.
“I believe that by working together we will become a more vibrant community and provide a safe and caring environment for our families to live in,” he said. “Each community will benefit from the positive spinoff of working together and it fits in with current examples of municipal cooperation.”
Jordan said that modernizing the system is a must, citing social media as a way to get the word out and reduce crime.
A membership is $12. For more visit their website at www.boyleruralcrimewatch.ca.
