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Vol. 14, No. 52, Wednesday, November 20, 2019 www.LamontLeader.com
Interest up for online crime watch groups as public helps police our “dead zone” By Jana Semeniuk Colby Nemirsky, one of the directors of the Andrew Willingdon St. Michael (AWS) Rural Crime Watch Association, saw how facebook could help connect residents concerned about rural crime and decided to help. “I started the Andrew Willingdon St. Michael Rural Crime Watch facebook page when I got invited to a meeting a couple of years ago. I felt compelled and wanted to use social media to show what we do because it works and it’s fast,” he said. “Not everyone likes facebook, but it’s the one thing most people have.” Nemirsky added that the facebook page has assisted in the effort against crime, such as in the case of stolen vehicles. “Stolen vehicles get shared around the facebook page very quickly,” he said. “We had a vehicle driving around north of Andrew and it got reported from Andrew all the way to Bruderheim and the guy got arrested. A stolen truck with stolen plates and nothing matched.” He did point out sometimes the vehicles shared on facebook are not from criminals. “Sometimes people get upset that their vehicle was reported on the facebook page. It wasn’t stolen but looked suspicious,” Nemirsky said. “I ask them to think what if your vehicle was
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spotted being driven by someone who wasn’t you and got reported: would you be happy about that? They agree right away that they would be.” Nemirsky said the facebook group contains just under 1,000 members and has been in operation for the past two years. He added the facebook group was a closed group at one time but is now a public group where potential members request admission and answer a couple of questions to join. “It’s important to know who is joining the group because sometimes people are Nemirsky joining for the wrong reasons,” he said. “We have RCMP members who are a part of the group and also help to screen it. They give us a heads up when they see a member who is a known criminal and we then remove them from the group.” Nemirsky acknowledged that crime seems to have risen in the past couple of years. “We used to have a lot of RCMP presence,” he said. “There used to be a detachment in Lamont, Andrew and Mundare. Now there is only a detachment in Two Hills and Fort Saskatchewan so this area is like a dead zone. We do have a peace officer but there is only so much he can do.” Nemirsky added that while the facebook group has membership approaching 1,000, the official AWS Rural Crime Watch Association has
Membership to the association increased with the downturn in the economy and rise in crime
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Colby Nemirsky shown with his nephew while attending the Rural Crime Watch Perogy Dinner Nov. 15 membership sitting near 400 with 24 directors who accomplish most of the hands-on duties. “Membership to the association increased with the downturn in the economy and rise in crime,” he said. “The group has seen renewed interest and an increase in membership.” Constable Jonathan Cole, an RCMP from the Two Hills detachment, is in direct contact with the group and helps to patrol their areas in addition to areas of concern by residents.
“We have direct contact with Const. Cole,” said Nemirsky. “If he isn’t on call, we have someone else we can talk to right away. It seems to work pretty well.” Nemirsky added that for $20 members receive a lifetime membership to the AWS Rural Crime Watch Association after passing an approval process. In addition, members receive a yellow sign to put on your lawn signifying you are a part of the rural crime watch organization.