Auto theft crimes have been the focus of recent community concerns and police crime prevention efforts, specifically in north Edmonton. Thefts from vehicles are up in north Edmonton by 28 per cent from last year at this time, compared to a 17 per cent increase city wide. Similarly, thefts of vehicles are up in north Edmonton by 30 per cent from last year, compared to 22 per cent city wide.
“It’s the little things, the simple things, that vehicle owners can do to prevent thefts,” says Acting Staff Sgt. Jared Buhler with EPS Northeast Division. “These are crimes of opportunity and in about 50 per cent of reported thefts from autos, the vehicle was left unlocked. Just taking an extra moment to check that your vehicle is locked will help prevent a theft from occurring. A little effort goes a long way.”
The strategy of the CAT deployment is to target auto theft crimes with enforcement and public education activities in the north Edmonton neighbourhoods of Killarney, Glengarry, Northmount, Evansdale, and the bordering areas that have seen concentrations of these crimes.
EPS officers will be focused on reducing crimes through high-visibility policing, proactive foot patrols of hot spots, management of prolific offenders, and traffic enforcement. Community volunteers and officers will educate the public about the issues by going door-to-door in the deployment neighbourhoods, and distributing crime prevention materials, as well as free anti-theft licence plate screws.
The CAT deployment takes place Aug. 7 to 10, 2013. Following the deployment, the Neighbourhood Empowerment Team (NET) will continue to work with the community in the Killarney area to prevent crimes such as auto-related thefts, break and enters, and social disorder.
The public is invited to meet with officers and receive crime prevention materials between 6 and 9 p.m. at the EPS Mobile Action Centre trailer located at each of the deployment locations. There will be free coffee (compliments of the Tim Hortons Community Cruiser), as well as hot dogs and other refreshments. A limited number of anti-theft steering wheel locks will be provided free of charge to owners of frequently stolen vehicles.
- Aug. 7, 2013 – Northgate Centre Mall, 9499 – 137 Avenue, Northeast Parking Lot
- Aug. 8, 2013 – O’Leary Fitness and Leisure Centre, 8804 – 132 Avenue, South Parking Lot
- Aug. 9, 2013 – Capital Centre Mall (Dickensfield), 9228 – 144 Avenue, West Parking Lot
- Aug. 10, 2013 – Delton Centre Mall, 12904 – 82 Street, Central Parking Lot
CAT is part of the ongoing EPS Violence Reduction Strategy, which focuses police, civic and community resources on at-risk areas for short periods of time – to target disorder, violence, and property crimes, and also assist vulnerable persons access the services that they require. Resources are deployed based on the information developed for intelligence-led policing including the EPS crime mapping system. The high-visibility of the CAT deployment has a strong immediate effect on suppressing crime, and crime is often reduced in the area after police leave.
CAT deployments have been successful in addressing a wide range of criminal and social issues since the monthly initiative began in September 2011. For more information about the EPS Violence Reduction Strategy, please visit www.edmontonpolice.ca/vrs. For information on NET, please visit www.edmontonpolice.ca/NET.