By meadowlakeNOW

City hopes to revitalize Citizens on Patrol Program

Oct 13, 2017 | 1:22 PM

More eyes on the streets can help keep a city safer, and members of Meadow Lake city council are working with volunteers to reinvigorate a program which will help protect the community.

The Citizens on Patrol Program (COPP) in Meadow Lake is looking to add more volunteers to its roster, and councillors Kim Chiverton and Tom Harrison are part of a committee working to pinpoint the group’s needs and get more community members involved in the endeavour. 

As both a council member and volunteer, Chiverton has noticed participant numbers dwindling as of late and said he would like to see more people involved in the cause.

“We’re hoping to bring new life back to it,” he said. “[Tom and I] will be meeting with representatives to identify areas in need of help and support, and see what the city can do to promote it.”

Chiverton said the program’s goal is to have volunteers regularly patrol the city – always in pairs – monitoring and reporting any suspicious activity to local RCMP. The reports could include reckless drivers, vandalism, and breaking and entering. The volunteers do not intervene in any way, and act as eyes and ears only.

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“There’s no doubt that we’ve got issues in our community,” Chiverton said. “It’s just another added feature that I think would help support the RCMP’s efforts to make our community as safe and secure as possible. The more engaged our community is in these kind of things, and taking a more active role in helping out, the better we are.”

Chiverton said the easiest way for citizens to become involved is to visit city hall to obtain registration form. A criminal record check is required, but is free for volunteers.

kathy.gallant@jpbg.ca  

On Twitter @ReporterKath