CALGARY

Justice Minister to embark on provincial tour focusing on rural crime concerns

Mark Villani CTV News Calgary Video Journalist

Published Wednesday, September 4, 2019 1:03PM MDT Last Updated Thursday, September 5, 2019 7:47AM MDT

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Alberta's Minister of Justice is set to visit 18 communities over the next four weeks in an effort to gain insight into the concerns of Albertans following a drastic spike in rural crime rates.

Beginning Thursday, September 5, Doug Schweitzer will be meeting with residents, business owners, crime watch groups, and municipal officials to hear their accounts of criminal activity in rural areas.

"First-hand conversations with Albertans will help ensure our actions truly reflect where Albertans are today," said Schweitzer in a statement released Wednesday afternoon. "We recognize the unique vulnerability of Albertans in rural areas. We want to work with them to ensure our justice system reflects the realities of rural Alberta and has the tools and resources necessary to ensure rural Albertans feel their justice system protects them, their loved ones and their property."

According to Statistics Canada, data from July 2018 shows rural crime rates continue to increase in the prairie provinces, particularly in Alberta which saw a 38 per cent higher rural crime rate compared to urban crime rates.

One of the UCP’s campaign promises in the provincial election was to implement a 16-point plan to crack down on rural crime.

Premier Jason Kenney previously announced that the plan would include spending $10 million to hire 50 new prosecutors and support staff so that criminal cases could not be thrown out. There were also plans announced to introduce more drug treatment courts to move through the system and more funding planned for the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT).

Scheduled tour stop include:

Thursday, Sept. 5