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Rural Crime Watch gains momentum in Ponoka

With an upswing in property crime, it seems there has been renewed interest in keeping a keen eye out for thieves.

With an upswing in property crime, it seems there has been renewed interest in keeping a keen eye out for thieves.

About 40 people showed up for the annual general meeting Oct. 18 for the Ponoka Rural Crime Watch Association, something association president Bryce Liddle felt was very positive.

“We had a good response with people showing they want to be involved, who were also pleased to hear the RCMP are going to be active once again,” he said.

“I think the key now is that people want this, we are getting a lot of support and that everyone knows there are people out there watching. It also helps for the people to know this is one of the priorities for the RCMP, something it may not have been in the past.”

Ponoka RCMP Staff Sgt. Mike Numan along with liaison officer Cst. Scott Fleckney were at the meeting to provide some quick training and tips to crime watch members as well as encouraging them to keep reporting any suspicious activity to the RCMP.

“This, and other community programs, were an important priority for me when I took over last year and it’s great to see such buy-in from the people,” Numan stated in an interview, noting the program had lagged for a time previously.

“I wanted to stress some training in being a good witness jotting down a brief description, licence plate, etc plus some things to do for their own security such as good lighting, being a good neighbour and being vigilant, but not a vigilante.”

Numan added there were positive questions posed by the crowd and that he hopes interest continues to grow and that he can bring forth some topics for future meetings.

The association welcomes new members and anyone interested is encouraged to contact them via email prcwa3@gmail.com or by calling Maria Lentz at (403) 783-2505.