La Ronge Hosts Crime Prevention Talks

Monday, June 12, 2006 at 13:21

Organizers say it’s a coincidence that a northern community that’s been the scene of high-profile crimes in recent months is the site of crime prevention discussions this week.

The provincial branch of the National Crime Prevention Centre and the RCMP have teamed up to offer a safer communities workshop in La Ronge.

La Ronge has made headlines this year because of a couple of armed robberies and an incident that saw a young woman allegedly set on fire by a 12-year-old girl.

Facilitator Diane MacDonald says the workshop was planned for La Ronge well before those crimes took place.

MacDonald says this workshop is being held because the local RCMP have long felt the community’s youth are at risk.

As a result, she says the session will focus on youth crime prevention, noting children are the ones most at risk in the community when it comes to victimization and troubles with the law.

MacDonald adds crime prevention begins with building quality relationships between groups in the community to ensure no one feels like an outsider — especially youth.