Chris Clegg
Crime is a national problem, not limited to High Prairie, Peace River or Slave Lake. It is fascinating to examine the efforts each community is undertaking to attempt to address the issue.
At its July 9 meeting, Slave Lake town council extended a town-wide pilot project security contract for two months. The first contract was for June and July. The company, Apex Security, patrols the town from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. seven days a week. Council administration wants to allow for an “appropriate amount of time to assess and decide on the future partnership, the Slave Lake Lakeside Leader reported July 17.
For the record, council does not agree if the plan is working.
Up north, Peace River town council announced a new public safety services pilot project which began July 15.
“We are constantly listening to residents and businesses about their concerns with social disorder and have been working hard to provide solutions,” says Mayor Elaine Manzer.
“This three-month pilot project represents a significant commitment by the Town to address some of these concerns.”
Called the Apex Pilot Project, they will be working 24/7 across Peace River for the next three months at a cost of $240,000. That is not chicken feed! Public safety services will include increased patrols, surveillance, and assistance for business and residents dealing with public disturbances.
Meanwhile, in High Prairie, town council hosted a public meeting on May 29 to discuss the issue!
Now, before the public jumps up and down and cries other towns are making an effort to combat crime while High Prairie sits on its collective fannies, consider this: perhaps High Prairie town council is wise to take a wait and see attitude. Talk with Peace River and Slave Lake to first see how their pilot programs are doing before spending a boatload of taxpayer’s money on a program that just might not yield the results citizens want.
All three towns are suffering from crime. Is Peace River worse than High Prairie? Slave Lake worse than High Prairie? Peace River worse than Slave Lake? No matter. Citizens in all three towns are angry and want action taken.
This newspaper is not privy to just how much research Peace River and Slave Lake councils conducted before making their decision, or whether they took action due to public pressure. It is reasonable to assume they did not jump into the crime fire with both feet before carefully considering the options.
Back in High Prairie, it is difficult to sit, watch and wait another a few months while the local yahoos run wild stealing from honest citizens like a pig eats slop.
But it is far better to wait rather than risk tossing a wad of cash into a burning pit.