Wetaskiwin launches a safety strategy to address crimes’ root causes

The City of Wetaskiwin has launched its Safety and Well-being strategy, which focuses on taking a proactive approach to managing risks and addressing the root causes of crime.

The strategy used the feedback collected from the community to identify local priorities — ensuring community safety efforts are rooted in the experiences and context of the Wetaskiwin residents, the city said in a media release on Wednesday, March 27.

“This strategy focuses on addressing potential risks and vulnerabilities before they escalate,” said Mayor Tyler Gandam.

“While police play a crucial role in crime reduction, our Community Safety and Well-being Strategy encompasses a broader spectrum, attending to the people, places, and situations that may not yet be on our radar.”

The release explained that via research, community consultations, and surveys, the strategy has identified the following ten priority areas for action:

Violence, (visible) homelessness, property crime victimization, mental health, and problematic substance use, barriers experienced by Indigenous communities, children, and youth, transportation safety concerns among the business community, racism, discrimination, and hate-based victimization, and perceptions of community safety.

The Community Safety and Well-being Committee will work to implement the strategy; part of that implementation will involve continued engagement in meaningful discussions and realizing the goals identified in the strategy.

The Community Safety and Well-being project started in 2019 after Wetaskiwin was selected as a pilot site to participate in a Rural Crime Prevention Project led by the Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention (CMNCP).

Qiam Noori, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ponoka News