It has steadily been losing popularity in the Ponoka area but with a new president at the helm, a membership push for the Rural Crime Watch is at the forefront of the group’s agenda.
Bryce Liddle was recently elected president at the May 13 meeting, where the main talking points were how to garner more interest in Rural Crime Watch and updating some of the group’s procedures and information.
Rural Crime Watch still employs a fan out call system but Liddle does not think that is always the best option, especially if it is programmed to run mid-morning when most people are not home, and the automated voice message is not able to meet the needs of every person. “By the time your machine is done doing everything it has to do, you’ve missed half of what they’re telling you.
“It seems to me like the membership is off a little bit . . . what I’d like to do is, probably this fall, is throw a big open house type meeting,” said Liddle.
“I think it’s kind of fallen on the back burner for some people,” he added.
With the purpose of keeping the rural community safe and a close eye on suspicious activity, Liddle says the functions of the organization are still appreciated, but he feels a membership drive is in order to keep the group afloat.
Before the most recent meeting there was talk of disbanding the group due to lack of interest. However, that has been set aside for now in favour of resurrection.
Those interested in Rural Crime Watch can contact Liddle via the Ponoka County office: 403-783-3333.