Minister's Section

There is no easy fix when it comes to reducing crime and preserving the security of our communities. On November 6, 2008, we acknowledged the anniversary of the Safe Communities initiative. The initiative was launched to address the impact crime is having on our communities, and find meaningful, long-term solutions.

We formed a partnership of nine government ministries, police, community groups, municipalities, businesses and social agencies to deal with crime in a broad-based and comprehensive approach. No other jurisdiction in the country is approaching crime reduction in this way and on this scale.

Reducing crime in a meaningful, long-term way requires much more than adding more police and prosecutors. We are offering families, community groups and individual Albertans the opportunity to get involved at a grassroots level.

Also on November 6, 2008, Premier Stelmach announced the $60 million dollar Safe Communities Innovation Fund. This funding will be used to strengthen and develop community-based projects and community-police partnership projects. We are looking for crime-fighting projects that bring together police and the communities they serve in a united front. Examples of projects that could benefit from this new funding could be mentoring programs for Aboriginal children, parenting support for at-risk families or Neighbourhood Empowerment Teams.

Funding will be equally divided between Edmonton, Calgary and the rest of Alberta over the next three years. The essence of this fund is to empower communities to launch programs that focus on specific crime issues in their own backyards. After all, no one knows their community better than the people who call it home.

This is an exciting opportunity for Albertans to become engaged in crime prevention and reduction and make a difference in their own communities – where they live, work and raise their families.

The next phase of Alberta's Safe Communities initiative will focus on the root causes of crime; the underlying and often complex reasons why people find themselves in the criminal justice system. We want to support families and reduce the risk of Alberta children getting caught up in drugs, gangs, and crime. This is the best support system a child can have, and the best chance we have of preventing future criminal behaviour. The most effective crime prevention work is done in our homes and in our schools - long before any law is broken and anyone becomes a victim.

Institutions must reflect the values of their communities. Together, we share the responsibility of increasing public confidence in the justice system, ensuring Albertans feel safe in their communities and making meaningful changes and shaping the Alberta we want for the future.

I’m extremely proud of the work that’s been done under the Safe Communities initiative over the past year, and I anticipate many more successes as we continue. I thank all those involved in this strategy for their hard work towards creating a safer, stronger Alberta.

See also:

$60 million fund marks next phase of Alberta’s Safe Communities initiative
November 6, 2008