By Aaron Mahoney (@Mahones93 on Twitter)

Picture Butte & District Rural Crime Watch Association holding first meeting this month

Jan 5, 2019 | 7:00 AM

PICTURE BUTTE – After a string of rural crime in Alberta last year, RCMP Sergeant Tom Howell with the Picture Butte RCMP decided to hold a meeting on Monday, May 7 to see if there was interest in forming a Rural Crime Watch Association.

Members of the community voted to re-activate the rural crime watch for the region, and now the will be hosting its first public meeting on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the Picture Butte Community Center.

It will feature guest speakers both from the Alberta Rural Crime Watch and the RCMP.

Previously, the area had a rural crime watch association, but it ended eight years ago because of limited involvement from the community.

The new association, which will work alongside the RCMP, will serve the rural communities of Picture Butte, Turin, Iron Springs, Nobleford, Barons, Coalhurst, Monarch, Shaughnessy, and Diamond City.

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Rural crime rates across this province over the past five years are up 23 percent, with theft and property crimes topping the list.

Presentations will cover topics like tips for protecting your property, information on the communication system they’ll be using for sharing information and more.

Memberships for the association will be available for purchase at the meeting for anyone interested.

The Picture Butte association is part of 56 other rural crime watch groups in the province, made up of more than 11,000 residents.

If you’re still looking for more information ahead of the meeting, you can e-mail buttecrimewatch@gmail.com.