Re: "Too much crime; not enough policing," Letters, The Gazette, Oct. 6.
I, too, am concerned with the map showing so many crimes committed in St. Albert recently.
On Sunday evening, Oct. 3, our community experienced a situation, and we are now part of the reporting on the map.
At about 10:30 p.m. our backyard light turned on to reveal a young man stepping over our gate into our yard onto the deck. As he paused, holding a large axe he had just taken from our neighbour's garage, I confronted him as to why he was in our yard. He insisted he was only looking for work and had just been kicked out of his house. I offered that this wasn't an appropriate hour to be seeking employ and encouraged him, politely of course, to leave. He was never confrontational or threatening, but still it was an unsettling situation.
I phoned the police ASAP and they arrived very quickly. This young person remained in the neighbourhood and just a few doors away broke into a house with the occupants in bed. They had an extremely traumatic situation to deal with as they had been awoken to find their patio door shattered and him stepping into their home.
Thank you to our local constabulary for being so quick to the scene and effective and professional with ending the situation. This has traumatized many in the neighbourhood and bewildered others as to what has happened to good old safe St. Albert.
We shouldn't feel threatened, though, as he was released the next day into the custody of his parents with a curfew. That should take care of him, don't you think?
Garry Messenger, St. Albert
