Several Sask. communities considering Citizens on Patrol to help deter crime

By Jaryn Vecchio

It’s no secret that crime rates continue to trend upwards across Saskatchewan.

It has got to the point that some communities have started discussing whether or not to set up a Citizens on Patrol Program (COP).

“It’s not a surprise to me … Frankly, it’s very encouraging that we’re seeing people trying to step forward and do more towards crime prevention,” said Doug Fehr, a Saskatchewan representative for Canadian Citizens on Patrol.

These programs are intended to help the local law enforcement agency, whether that be the RCMP or a city police force. This does not mean volunteers will work the front line. Rather, they’ll provide officers with any information that can help them in an investigation or prevent crime from happening.

“We’re another set of eyes and ears,” added Fehr.

One of the communities currently discussing setting up a patrol unit is Tisdale. In November, hundreds of residents took part in a meeting where they got a chance to hear firsthand from people involved in the group.

One of the more vocal residents in favour of the program is Daryl Mann, the owner of Fantasy Flooring.

He explained it’s always been tough for the RCMP to get officers to move to the community, making it hard for the ones who do.

“We’re short a few numbers in our RCMP (detachment), so we think the best thing to do is to have some eyes and ears out in the community and be able to help them out,” he said.

For Mann, it feels like crime has hit an all-time high in the community. He said there has been a lot of break-ins.

“It just seems like there’s more and more of it every month,” he said.

Other communities showing interest in the program include Melfort, Shellbrook, Buffalo Narrows, Osler and Shaunavon.

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Meanwhile, member of the Nipawin Citizens on Patrol were on hand for the Tisdale meeting to discuss the success they’ve had over the past year.

President Dalton Clifford said that, along with doing patrols, they’ve helped the local RCMP in different ways. This includes handing out bracelets to children at last year’s Nipawin Exhibition that had their parents’ or guardians’ phone numbers on it.

“When a child is lost, you have to call RCMP. They come out, that’s time and paperwork, and if they can’t locate the parents, then they have to call Social Services … It just escalates into a lot of money and ties up the officers from doing other jobs,” said Clifford.

He noted he was told by the RCMP that they helped save taxpayers about $26,000.

Citizens on Patrol is also in the process of starting up a bike registry.

Clifford added when members go on patrol, they immediately get in contact with RCMP dispatch to give them a head’s up that they’re working. They also speak with a local officer who shares details on things happening in the community and what to keep watch over.

“As one guy put it, it’s too hard for a dishonest person to make a living (in Nipawin),” said Clifford.

In his opinion, Citizens on Patrol is a perfect program for every community struggling with high crime trends.