Leduc, Alberta - Leduc RCMP wishes to advise the community of an increase in break and enters in the City. Year to date comparison statistics from January 1, 2015, to November 30, 2015, identify an increase from 113 to 162, an increase of 43% over the year previous. Business break and enters appear to have seen the greatest increase, going from 44 to 66, with the great majority of break and enters in the downtown and North industrial areas of the City. The increase noted is not necessarily related to a greater crime trend in Leduc. Persons crimes, for example, have deceased from 562 to 469 in the same period. Additionally, disturbances of the peace are also down significantly from last year. Prevention strategies can be the greatest tool to decreasing break and enters. This can include ensuring that our facilities are secure, reporting suspicious activities, putting valuable out of sight, i.e. display cases, knowing your neighbours, having people watch property or homes while you are away, and reporting known offenders to police. Research has also shown that having an alarm system is the greatest deterrent of break and enters. The RCMP will be responding with additional patrols in the target areas, and will be assisted by the City`s Nighthawk program.
The Nighthawks are a volunteer organization that assist the RCMP by being an extra set of ``Eyes and Ears`in the community. They have the support of the City of Leduc and the RCMP. They have been working more recently with the RCMP on a proactive project aimed reducing thefts from motor vehicles. The Nighthawks have been conducting `Lock it or Lose it``checks in and around Leduc neighborhoods. The Nighthawks are in high visible coats or vests. With multiple members, they use flashlights to check and make sure vehicles are locked and valuable are out of sight. With this most recent initiative, the Nighthawks do not touch the vehicles or door handles, and if there is something of value left unsecure they will contact the RCMP. The checks are completed at all hours of the day and night. The Nighthawks will leave a small card stating the time, date, identification number of the Nighthawks who completed the check and if it was secure or unsecure. The Nighthawks will not check vehicles in driveways or on private property. The Nighthawks program has operated in Leduc for more than 15 years. They have helped with incidents, including impaired driving, break & enters, mischief to property and other criminal activities. The Nighthawks are always looking for more dedicated, trustworthy, and caring citizens of our community. If you want more information please contact nighthawks.president@gmail.com.