Vandalism has been a noted concern in the Crowsnest Pass, as it is in numerous communities. As a community project, one of the local RCMP constables has researched vandalism in the community, along with potential solutions, and on Tuesday, December 15, he presented his findings to council.
Constable Ryan Di-Loreto was assigned the project and dove in head first. "I realized a major issue here was the vandalism. I know it's been a problem in the community."
He studied three potential approaches to the problem––education, security cameras, and a curfew.
"People think vandalism is caused by boredom," said Constable Di-Loreto. "But that's not the case." He said that the problem is not caused by kids having nothing to do, because towns and cities of all sizes, with countless events, organizations, and activities, all face vandalism issues. The people who are causing the vandalism, he said, are simply not taking advantage of other activities.

Local programs, he said, such as the Boys and Girls Club, can be used to provide anti-vandalism education, but again the problem is that they might not reach the youth who are actually causing the vandalism.
Cameras, said Constable Di-Loreto, are surprisingly ineffective according to his research. He noted that a million cameras were put up in London, England, but only one out of every 1000 cameras solves a crime every year.
He said that cameras are often unable to make a positive identification, due to darkness, angles, or people masking their faces. In addition, he said, cameras are expensive and would be adversely affected by the cold weather and wind in the Pass.
He added that London, Ontario also installed cameras, but has seen very minimal results for the costs involved.
A curfew, said the constable, is used in numerous Alberta communities. "A lot of them are finding it to be very successful," he said. "A lot of other communities use it."
... For the full story, see the December 22 issue of the Pass Herald.