The province is providing funding to Alberta Sheriffs to put more boots in the ongoing battle against rural crime.
The Government of Alberta has invested $4.3 million to enhance surveillance and other crime reduction initiatives.
This investment supported the establishment of two plainclothes teams to support police in carrying out surveillance on criminal targets in rural areas.
The 2 teams are split between northern and southern Alberta.
Both teams are now fully staffed and operational, ready to fight crime in rural areas across Alberta.
These rural surveillance teams will work to prevent crime, monitor agricultural theft and work in collaboration with local law enforcement to share intelligence and resources to keep Albertans and their property safe and secure.
The Alberta Sheriffs have an existing surveillance unit that is part of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams and focused mainly on serious and organized crime investigations.
The new surveillance teams will fill a gap by helping rural RCMP detachments with local investigations.
In a press release from the Government of Alberta, Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, says the addition of two new surveillance teams will further support law enforcement in stamping out criminal activity in Alberta’s rural areas, adding that this is about supporting local investigations to address local crime in smaller communities.