Residents in Wheatland County now have a tool that will help them stay informed about crimes in the region, and develop crime-prevention habits.

On February 26, the county released a link to the Alberta RCMP Crime Map.

The map was created last year for the public to view information on missing persons, stolen vehicles and high crime areas.

According to Alberta RCMP, points of interest on the map are not the exact location of the crime, but are placed at a nearby intersection, or region.

According to Wheatland County, the online tool enables the Alberta RCMP to directly engage with citizens on what they care about most, their own neighbourhoods.

Municipalities that display the map have customized portals that have contact information relevant to the local RCMP detachments.

The county relies on several RCMP detachments. According to Wheatland County, users can see the data entered by officers, as well as data for the whole of the province.

The maps display the areas where specific crimes occurred during the previous two weeks, including theft from vehicles, theft of vehicle, break and enter, theft over/under $5,000, mischief, and missing persons reports.