The Alberta RCMP is working to reduce crime with a new community safety and well-being branch.
The branch is designed to reduce crime, and address crime and victimization, through collaboration between police and community partners, an RCMP media release said.
The branch was created from feedback gathered from Albertans, with the intention of improving overall community safety and wellness across the province.
The branch will also enhance community engagement, with additional resources focused on outreach, the release said
“We know the policing needs of Albertans are changing and policing services must respond and evolve to an ever-changing society with needs that go beyond simple help from a frontline officer,” Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki and Commanding Officer of the Alberta RCMP said. “We will be placing an enhanced and more coordinated approach to community wellness in guiding our work by integrating our operations and outreach and leveraging our partnerships with health care professionals, social agencies and other law enforcement agencies.”
The branch will focus on crime reduction, community outreach, analytics and intelligence, and social engagement.
“Our goal is not only crime reduction, but to actually break the cycle of criminality in order to prevent further harm to Albertans,” Chief Superintendent Peter Tewfik, and Officer-in-Charge of the Community Safety and Well-being Branch said. “The branch will work directly with victims, offenders, and communities impacted by crime.”
Units and initiatives will be integrated into the branch, such as the Data 2 Action (D2A), and the Regional Police and Crisis Teams (RPACT), to focus on crime reduction and community engagement.
The D2A is a framework program that turns data into tasks aimed at reducing crime and enhancing community safety, while bringing RCMP support services, provincial and federal government agencies, law enforcement partners, and community organizations together to address property and violent crimes.
The program determines the people, places, and types of crimes that impact the most vulnerable communities in the province, the release said.
The Alberta RCMP and Alberta Health Services (AHS) collaborated to create RPACT, which allows officers and mental health professionals to work together when responding to mental health calls for service.
The branch will continue to expand the partnership between the RCMP and AHS to communities throughout the province.
“Police are frequently the primary frontline response to mental health crises. Responding to these calls with mental health professionals provides clinical expertise that benefits the individual in crisis and connects them to the appropriate resources for follow-up mental health treatment,” the release said.
The branch will include an auto theft unit, police reporting occurrence system data centre, call back unit, integrated offender management program, Indigenous relations and reconciliation, social engagement, community relations, hate crimes, an equity, diversity and inclusion unit, restorative justice, citizen-led community groups, crime prevention liaisons, victim services unit, sexual and relationship violence outreach, and a strategic analysis and research unit.
“By integrating the work of Alberta RCMP units and partner organizations with unique skill sets, the branch will improve our service delivery across all communities within our jurisdiction,” the release said. “Overall, the new branch and its partner organizations will provide Alberta communities with the resources and supports necessary to address social issues before they become criminal issues.”
