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By Liam Verster
Reporting Crime Online

RCMP urge rural Albertans to use online crime reporting tool

Jan 9, 2021 | 7:00 AM

The first six months of the RCMP’s new online crime reporting tool, the Police Reporting and Occurrence System (PROS) Data Centre, is being considered a success, but the RCMP is still asking more rural Albertans to get involved and try it out.

PROS was launched at the end of May 2020, and by December there had been over 780 property crimes submitted through the system.

The PROS system is intended to only be used for property crimes under $5,000, such as mischief, damage to property and vandalism. The user must fill in a criteria and if the crime can be reported through the system it will be accepted, otherwise crimes should be reported directly to a detachment either over the phone or in person.

Cst. Chantelle Kelly with the Alberta RCMP says while it’s great to see people use this tool to report crimes, there is still a need to push for it’s use outside of urban areas.

She adds that generally smaller crimes, such as theft from vehicles, typically happen in urban areas where there’s more targets to hit, whereas in the rural areas, houses and properties are more spaced out and there’s less opportunities for these types of crimes.

However, Kelly mentioned this tool can still be very useful for those in rural settings.

“This [system] allows for people to report it any time of the day, whether they’re at their place of employment or at home, and it gives that flexibility that you don’t always have to go into the detachment if it does meet the criteria, and it also helps those who might not otherwise report.”

“So, maybe someone has something stolen from their vehicle or their property, or maybe they’ve noticed graffiti or damage to property they might not otherwise report because they don’t have suspects or witnesses, or they don’t feel it’s necessary to report, or they don’t want to tie up officers.”

Kelly adds that last point is crucial to the system, as some rural residents live well away from detachments, and it would take a long time for an officer to drive out, take a statement, and drive back. That time could also be better used focusing on more time sensitive or higher priority calls, but Kelly says it’s still important to the RCMP that all crimes be reported.

The use of this tool is also important for gathering more detailed crime stats, which can help the RCMP determine where resources need to be deployed.

“I know [the stats] will directly impact on how things are looked at and obviously that will come into play when there’s discussions or there’s talk of how many members are at a detachment or how the resources are being managed.”

Kelly adds it’s very important for the RCMP to have as much data as possible to determine trends and patterns in communities across Alberta.

When submitting reports, Kelly asks that people include as much detail as possible, including pictures or videos, to help the officers with their investigations.

The RCMP also urges people to take note of property and write down serial numbers or distinguishing features of items so if they are stolen and later located they can go back to their rightful owners.

In the case of more urgent crimes, Kelly asks that people call the police or attend a detachment.

by Liam Verster