What Economic Low-Cost Strategy Can Reduce the High Crime Rates in the Rural Areas of Canada?
May 31, 2025โข434 words
"Criminality is always the result of poverty." ~ Jacob Zuma
"A large part of crime is economics - if people are working and and have a home and family to support, then I believe you can reduce the crime rate." ~ Frank Vincent
"With the frenzied pace in our own country, with the degenerating school system, with a crime rate that rises 30% a year, and with politicians that seem more interested in posturing than in governing, it has become more difficult, or should I say challenging, to achieve that inner symbiosis with life." ~ Frederick Lenz
"School performance, public health, crime rates, clinical depression, tax compliance, philanthropy, race relations, community development, census returns, teen suicide, economic productivity, campaign finance, even simple human happiness - all are demonstrably affected by how (and whether) we connect with our family and friends and neighbours and co-workers." ~ Robert D. Putnam
Besides robbery which is predominantly higher rates in the urban centers of Canada, the highest rates of crime are mainly in the the rural areas because of isolation, lack of policing in close proximities, some areas have poor living conditions, lack of economic diversity and job availability.
What economic low-cost strategy can reduce the high crime rates in the rural areas?
Creating a shared group chat with your neighbours can be a very effective and inexpensive way to lower crime if you live in a rural area with little police presence. By enabling prompt reporting of questionable individuals, cars, or actions, it keeps everyone on guard. Even when police officers are far away, you have more eyes on the ground thanks to this interconnected network of vigilant locals acting as a sort of virtual neighborhood patrol. Having a group chat allows you to communicate in real time when something happens.
Instant group chat communication enables you and your neighbours to take immediate action, such as locking up valuables or calling for assistance, in locations where emergency response times may be prolonged by distance.
Potential criminals may be deterred simply by the community's close ties, as they are aware that they are more likely to be observed and reported. This type of communication improves your sense of community in addition to safety. It facilitates indirect collaboration with law enforcement and promotes a sense of shared responsibility for mutual protection. In certain regions, real-time alerts can even be sent by provincial police or the local RCMP via platforms like RAVE... in one rural area, some Albertans set up a group chat with 120 participants that proved essential during a surge of break-ins.