As people are spending time at home, it's a great time to be doing a bit of maintenance, from yard work or decorating to updating home security measures. 

Janise Somer, Program and Communications Coordinator for Central Alberta Crime Prevention Centre (CACPC), said there are lots of resources available for residents to help keep themselves and their neighbourhoods safe. 

One of the easiest measures, Somer said, is to simply get to know your neighbours. 

"The number one crime prevention tool is getting to know your neighbors, because people that know each other will look out for each other."

"For example, we came home one night and our neighbour's garage was open halfway, so we drove around and let them know that their door was open, and they were thankful because it was already 10 o'clock at night," Somer said, adding, "I know we can't knock on their door and visit right now, but there are Facebook groups for almost every community, or you can use this wonderful app called Next Door."

Next Door allows people to start or join a group for their neighbourhood to allow people to get to know each other and report any suspicious activity in the area. 

Crime prevention tools can include motion sensor lights in back alleys, removing valuables - including bottles, change, sunglasses and garage door openers - from vehicles, and leaving on outdoor lights for better visibility. 

If people want to register their bikes for the 529 Garage, they can reach out to CACPC and have a tamper-proof shield sent to them for $5, which allows the owner to fully register their bike so that if it's ever stolen and recovered, police have an idea of who to reach out to. 

From Red Deer RCMP:

Red Deer RCMP reminds residents and businesses to continue to stay vigilant to prevent crimes of opportunity, as warming temperatures often bring an increase in property crime.

Red Deer RCMP noted a decrease in property and persons crimes in March, and a decrease in calls for service since the onset of COVID-19, but police expect that may change as the weather warms up for spring.

“We typically see a drop in crime rates during the coldest months of the year, but property crimes and petty thefts typically jump up a bit once spring hits,” said Superintendent Grobmeier, Officer in Charge of the Red Deer detachment. “We’re asking residents to take action to prevent crimes of opportunity, as many property crimes are easily preventable.”

A recent spike in garage break-ins was also a concern for RCMP. In March and early April, Red Deer RCMP noted seven separate occurrences of vehicles ramming garage doors to gain access for the purpose of theft.

“While we are spending more time at home, this is an opportunity to look over our properties to see what changes can be made to make it less appealing to criminals,” said Superintendent Grobmeier. “Simple things like landscaping, fences and lighting can have a huge impact in preventing crime.”

Red Deer RCMP has a number of programs in place in which residents can take part to assist RCMP and help prevent crimes of opportunity:

  • CAPTURE, Red Deer RCMP’s camera registry, allows residents to register to let RCMP know they have a security camera on their property. If a crime is committed in the area, RCMP can then contact the owner to request access to footage that could help solve a crime. Residents and businesses can register their camera online at reddeercapture.ca.

"What people need to understand about the CAPTURE registry is that it does not give the RCMP access to your cameras. It's just a registration that shares your address and lets RCMP know that you have cameras on your property. If some suspicious activity or criminal activity occurs around your address, the RCMP may contact you and see if you have footage of a specific time or a certain date, and you can decide whether to provide that to them or not," Somer said. 

  • 529 Garage is an online bike registry where residents can register their bikes. In the event of bike theft, RCMP can check the registry for descriptions and serial numbers to easily match found bikes to their owners. Residents can register their bike online at project529.com/reddeer.

Additional information about steps residents and businesses can take to prevent crime are available on The City’s website at www.reddeer.ca/crimeprevention.