Date: November 4, 2022Share

RCMP: Making the Right Call

When it comes to reporting a crime there can sometimes be confusion on the best way to reach out to police, in particular in non emergency based situations. Though everyone is familiar with 9-1-1, there are other police reporting lines that the general public may not be as aware of such as your local detachment non-emergency line, local detachments administrative line, and online crime reporting.

For any emergency situation or crime in progress the best number to call is 9-1-1. These calls are answered by the Operational Communications Centre (OCC) and once answered a general duty officer is then dispatched. Calls to 9-1-1 can include anything from a life threatening incident and crime in progress to the witnessing of an intoxicated driver. Calls to 9-1-1 are considered high priority calls that will always be answered before non-emergency calls, and may require immediate police attention due to the seriousness and severity of the incident.

For non emergency crimes please call the non-emergency number found in your local municipality. Examples of when to call the non emergency line include, but are not limited to the following; suspicious vehicles, activities or persons, neighborhood disputes, noise issues, break and enters and thefts where the suspect is not there and crimes committed in the past.

Your Detachment's Administrative line is to be called when you are following up on an incident that has already been reported and you are calling to speak to the investigative officer assigned to your file; or you are calling to speak to a specific officer in the Detachment. It is important to note that this phone number is NOT monitored outside of the Detachment's designated office hours, nor is this number to be used to report crimes in progress or emergencies.

An online crime report can be made through the Alberta RCMP at ocre-sielc.rcmp-grc.gc.ca. The easy-to-use website guides you through a series of questions that gives police pertinent information about the incident and can be completed in as little as 15 minutes.

Online reports can be made for matters such as damage/mischief to property under $5000, theft of bicycle under $5000, theft under $5000, theft from vehicle under $5000, and lost property. Reportable online reporting incidents can not be reported if there are witnesses or suspects, the items lost or stolen are over $5000, the vandalized property will cost over $5000 to repair, or if any items lost or stolen involve personal identity (ie: passports, driver licenses, birth certificates, etc..), firearms, or license plates.

All online reports are reviewed by the RCMP and are prioritized to the Call Back Unit, a specialized team that handles all non-emergency calls. Since 2020 this unit has been responsible for responding to more than 2500 non emergency calls throughout the province. All crimes reported online will be followed up with a phone call from a police officer in "K" Division's Call Back Unit (CBU) within five business days.

To provide anonymous tips on crimes that have already been committed like property crime and narcotics, individuals can contact Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222 8477 (TIPS) or online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the P3Tips app available trough the Apple App or Google Play Store.

Reporting all crimes and suspicious activities to police is extremely important. All calls are logged and the intelligence from these reported incidents are used to ensure police are being deployed effectively to those areas that are being most impacted by crime. The intelligence collected is also used to analyze current crime trends and predict future ones. Even if you are unsure if a crime has been committed, it is always best to make sure to report the incident and allow police to conduct a further investigation.

Although Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are common platforms today to relay information, be aware that reporting suspicious activity or any crime on social media platforms does not mean the police know about it. In order to ensure suspicious activity and crimes are accurately reported to the police, please ensure that you report the incident to the police directly. RCMP members do not monitor social media accounts. Chances are good that if you have not reported it to the police, the police do not know about it.

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