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SHERWOOD PARK, AB — As has happened in many parts of the United States, and more recently right here in Canada in cities such as Vancouver, Calgary, and several cities in Ontario, “Safe Internet Exchange Zones” have been added for those of you residing in and making sales and purchases in Sherwood Park. Thank you, Strathcona County RCMP.

I personally welcome these types of exchange locations – all of which are monitored by continuous video surveillance – with absolute delight. If I had any say in the matter, I’d make sure that these signs popped up in at least half of the Edmonton Police Service’s stations.

“We understand people feel hesitant to give someone their home or work address or meet them in a random parking lot and wanted to provide a location that was public, monitored and accessible” said Cst. Kelly of the Strathcona County RCMP, “Here is an opportunity to make people feel more safe when they meet up with a stranger to exchange purchased items.” Strathcona County Crime Watch

If you have your eye on something from a local online – whether it’s through Canada’s very popular Kijiji service, Craigslist, or one of the many local Buy & Sell Facebook pages – and you end up being the one meeting up for the purchase, please make use of these exchange zones. It’s for your own safety; male or female.

BUYER OR SELLER — Whether or not you’re the one buying something, or the one selling something, these exchange zones will benefit you, and quite frankly, may give the person on the other end peace of mind as well, which is great.

EDMONTON POLICE SERVICE — I think it’s about time we get some signs of this nature at our own EPS stations, with a post about it on social media to get the word out. I promise I’ll do all in my power to spread the word amongst my fellow Edmontonians. I’ve read about too many close calls on social media & reddit over the past year.

Continue to be safe while making those exchanges, fellow Albertans. You never know who you will be meeting up with, and you can never be too careful in this day and age — especially with the economy being how it is, and many locals struggling to make it by. The crime rate of Edmonton is not so great at the moment of this posting.