Crime prevention in Alberta
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Alberta RCMP is committed to raising awareness of the critical role citizens can play to keep communities safe across Alberta. We encourage all Albertans to play an active role in keeping themselves, their families and their communities safe.
To assist with education and public outreach, the Alberta RCMP has created a new Crime prevention calendar. The calendar provides monthly themes that will inform our messaging, and partner messaging, throughout the year. Each month's theme was chosen based on a combination of statistics, seasonality and public perception of issues.
Wanted Wednesday
Wanted Wednesday is a social media-based initiative where individuals with active warrants believed to be living in Alberta are chosen to be featured on the Alberta RCMP social media accounts. These individuals have been selected to appear on the poster based on an analysis of their criminal history and how much potential harm they present to a community. The top 20% of offenders are responsible for 90% of the total Alberta RCMP Crime Severity Index (CSI) score. Our hope is that by posting on social media, new tips and leads will be generated for these investigations.
How are the individuals chosen?
The first step in choosing who to feature for Wanted Wednesday is using the CSI. The CSI was created by Statistics Canada in 2004. Traditionally, crime rates have been overly influenced by high-volume, less serious offences. The CSI is an improved analysis where more serious crimes carry a higher weight than less serious crimes.
The Alberta RCMP sorts all police files for an 18-month time period. Individuals who are wanted by the RCMP are then assigned a CSI weight based on their file types. The individuals are then sorted by the total sum of their scores. After this sorting, tactical analysts and Detachments use this data, along with additional information (such as whether the person is in custody, known to be out of the province, etc.) to determine who will be posted on Wanted Wednesday. One individual from each of the four provincial districts is chosen to post on Alberta RCMP social media accounts.
How often is it posted?
Wanted Wednesday is posted each week on Wednesday and updated the following week.
How does it differ from other wanted posts?
The Alberta RCMP posts wanted individuals who pose a risk to public safety on social media. These posts are different than Wanted Wednesday. Wanted Wednesday posts focus on individuals who are repeat offenders and have been carefully selected using the CSI as well as other factors and may not pose a threat to the physical safety of citizens.
What if I recognize a person from the Wanted Wednesday poster?
If you recognize a wanted person, DO NOT APPROACH. If you know of the whereabouts of any individuals featured on the poster, please call your local police detachment or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
Is there an ongoing list online?
The only place you will find the Wanted Wednesday individuals is on the Alberta RCMP Twitter and Facebook pages. We will update the posts on a weekly basis.
Alberta crime prevention calendar
- January
- Travel tips - mail theft: tips for keeping property safe while you're away
- February
- Theft from vehicle and theft of vehicle: seasonal messaging for auto-related crimes
- March
- National Fraud Prevention Month
- April
- Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED): tips to keep your property protected
- May
- B&E (residential, seasonal properties, outbuildings): tips for protecting property and encouraging reporting
- June
- Theft of off-highway vehicles: safe storage of, and tips to protect, off-highway vehicles
- July
- Theft from yard: encourage safe-keeping and inventory of items left outside in summer
- August
- Theft from vehicle and theft of vehicle : seasonal messaging for auto-related crimes
- September
- B&E (business): messaging to focus on business specific CPTED
- October
- B&E (seasonal property): tips for securing seasonal property for winter
- November
- Cyber crime: know what cyber crime is, how to prevent it and how to report it
- December
- Mail theft: protecting your mail around the holidays
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