UCP touts plan to fight ‘increasingly brazen and violent’ rural crime wave

The United Conservative Party says its plan to tackle crime in rural areas targets increasingly brazen and violent criminals.

The proposal, released Wednesday, calls for a response system linking police services, the establishment of units in each judicial district focused on high-risk offenders and a potential ombudsman for victims of crime.

UCP justice critic Angela Pitt said town hall meetings held across the province in the lead-up to the report pointed to “a dangerous shift” involving criminals, often repeat offenders, “preying on the vulnerabilities of residents.”

“Communities and police have been overwhelmed by the escalating brazenness and violence of crimes, and the sheer scale of the criminal activity occurring throughout Alberta,” she said at a news conference in Calgary.

UCP solicitor general critic Mike Ellis said a small number of organized, repeat offenders are committing the majority of crime in rural areas, according to police.

“The report recommends addressing this issue through the creation of specialized Crown-police units in every judicial district,” he said. “These units will handle highrisk offender cases … through the system, from arrest all the way to sentencing.”

Recommendations compiled by former Crown prosecutor Scott Newark as part of the report also include creating a provincially regulated police-response system that would link all enforcement agencies in Alberta.

Other steps recommended by the UCP include measures to address court delays, such as considering establishing temporary court facilities and hiring additional prosecutors. Policies proposed to improve victims’ services include exploring the creation of a victims’ ombudsman office. The plan also recommends lobbying the federal government to amend sections 34 and 35 of the Criminal Code to include rural vulnerabilities in the list of circumstantial factors, and educating the public on their rights and responsibilities in defending their property.

NDP Justice Minister and Solicitor General Kathleen Ganley said most of the proposed steps “are already underway.” She said her government has implemented a rural-crime strategy that it believes is working. Ganley noted that many property crimes in rural areas are down by 10 per cent this month, according to the RCMP.