Listening to Albertans’ concerns about rural crime

Since the beginning of July, Minister Madu has been meeting with municipal councils, Indigenous leaders and other stakeholders throughout the province.

Starting July 20, the first in a series of town hall meetings scheduled across Alberta will give the public an opportunity to voice their concerns about crime in their communities.

Longstanding concerns about how long it can take police to arrive at the scene of an emergency prompted the government to launch the Rural Alberta Provincial Integrated Defence (RAPID) Response initiative earlier this year. Under RAPID Response, provincial peace officers in the Alberta Sheriffs were given expanded authorities to help the RCMP on urgent calls and to investigate a wider range of traffic offences.

The town hall sessions will also be an opportunity to discuss ongoing work to modernize the Police Act, as well as update the public on the progress of the government’s study on the feasibility of establishing a provincial police service to replace the RCMP in Alberta.

Minister Madu’s tour builds on outreach and town halls hosted in rural Alberta communities in 2019.

The first set of public town halls will be held mainly in southern Alberta, followed by events in the northwest part of the province. More locations will be announced in the coming days and added to the itinerary. Dates and locations are subject to change.

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