As Chestermere is growing – so too is petty crime, vehicle break-ins and vandalism. Primarily at night time.
We are looking into options.
1. Increasing our RCMP force. This can only be on a balanced approach, I am told. For example, we cannot just add RCMP for night shifts. They would increase in the day time equally as one of the federal requirements.
2. Chestermere Community Peace Officers. CPOs currently operate during the daytime and provide Bylaw and traffic enforcement. They patrol, report and, as I understand it, can detain for the RCMP also. We can look into adding a night shift.
3. New Chestermere Security Force or Guards. Would be able to patrol, report, detain and act as a deterrent. This can be set up to be night time use only.
4. Surveillance. Adding high resolution cameras at the entrances and exits to Chestermere.
The main idea is likely a combination, if there is an answer to ensuring thieves choose to go to another city. In communication with RCMP, the arrests for crimes shows the people involved all coming from outside Chestermere. There are different price tags to each option. Primarily #1 being the most expensive, at approximately $186,000 an officer, to #4 being the least expensive to tax payers.
I will be bringing this to council and request staff look into it and report back to council.
Please let us know your thoughts,
