If the attendance at Thursday night's (November 8) Community Policing Forum in the lobby of the Bert Church Theatre in Airdrie was any indication, most Airdrie residents believe we're reasonably safe in our community.  

That was the feeling of Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown following the forum.  He says he was caught by surprise, and was a bit disappointed, by the poor turnout for the event.

"I think there was probably in total, there might have been a mix of 30 to 40 people, including some of our staff and others in the room.  Based on the feedback we were receiving I would say, just by the turnout, either people weren't aware of the evening or they feel that things are in good stead."

As far as Brown is concerned, the turnout wasn't indicative of the success of the event.  He realized that when he asked a question of the participants at the end of the evening.

"I walked up to the group afterward and said 'do you think this should be an annual event' and everybody in the room nodded their head.  We traded some great information.  People understood what's going on with some of the crime in our community, what we're doing about it, how we're addressing it.  We talked about officers, we talked about municipal enforcement, we talked about engaging with Citizens on Patrol and possibly volunteering and being part of that community watch."

Brown says the overall tone of the meeting made him realize one thing, which he says was the takeaway for the night.  If you want to live in a safer community, you need to get to know your neighbours.

"If you want a safe street, if you want to know what's going on in your community, it's really important to get to know your neighbours.  That was really stressed and Airdrie does a great job of looking out for one another so that was great to see."

The Airdrie RCMP, Airdrie Municipal Enforcement, members of City Council and Administration were on hand and did presentations at the forum.  

Questions? Comments? Story ideas? Email us at news@discoverairdrie.com