Prince Albert, Sask. residents take to WhatsApp to combat crime in West Hill area

Prince Albert residents in the West Hill neighbourhood have another tool at their disposal to combat crime in the area.

They are using social media platform WhatsApp to record suspicious activity and directly notify police.

This quick means of sharing information is an easy way to report a crime, down to the finer details.

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The success and usefulness of the previous online area watch groups have been applauded by the Prince Albert police service.

Prince Albert Ward 8 Councillor Ted Zurakowski said users hope to maintain a solid bond with the local police in the future, using WhatsApp.

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“We’ve really tried to hold it to those parameters because we really want to build a close relationship with the police,” said Zurakowski.

WhatsApp “is essential for officers to become the trust for those messages that we see come across, and so we can have a closer buy-in with the police.”

Zurakowski said it’s a necessary step and accessible tool for the area in fighting crime.

So far, roughly 100 residents in the neighbourhood have joined and downloaded WhatsApp.