EDMONTON – Students at Queen Elizabeth and Archbishop O’Leary high schools in north Edmonton will soon be using their smartphones to help police.
Nearly 3,000 students attend the two schools, which are located six blocks apart, making the area one of the highest concentrations of high-school-aged youth in the city.
That’s part of the reason why the schools were chosen to participate in the new Crime Stoppers Youth Program.
“The pressure to fit in is extremely hard on youth, often leading to crimes going unreported,” said Katie Wallbaum, a youth liaison from the Killarney Neighbourhood Empowerment Team (N.E.T.).
“Crime Stoppers Youth is focused on giving youth an anonymous way to report crime in a medium that makes sense to them. We want to eliminate the stigma of being a ‘rat’ and empower students to speak out about issues affecting them in their schools.”
“Youth also see things that are dangerous or suspicious or illegal,” said Curtis Nikel, President of the Crime Stoppers Association of Edmonton and Northern Alberta. “We need to empower them to report these activities, and an anonymous tip service is the perfect way for them to get involved without having to be afraid.”
Some of the crimes that may be reported to the tip line include: violence, drug possession or dealing, theft – such as phones stolen from cars and lockers – possession of stolen property or weapons, vandalism, sexual assault and bullying.
Students whose tips lead to a successful investigation will be rewarded with a minimum of $50.
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