Child Reunite Service is a new initiative launched by COPPP to reunite children at public events who have wandered away from their parents or caregivers. (Doug Fehr/COPP)

By Kenneth Cheung

COPP

Battlefords Citizens on Patrol sees success with Child Reunite Service; keeps city in check

Aug 30, 2024 | 6:00 PM

Battlefords Citizens on Patrol (COPP) plans to continue a service that helped reunite lost children with their families at public events.

The group initiated it’s Child Reunite Service during the Battlefords Agricultural Society’s 135th annual Northwest Territorial Days Fair and according to COPP chairperson Doug Fehr, they made over 120 phone calls over three days that helped children find their parents or caregivers.

Previously, St. John Ambulance had offered a similar service in Battlefords, but after seeing other COPP groups follow the program in places like Nipawin and Strathcona County in Alberta, they decided it would be an excellent service they could provide for the community.

Fehr said having the program at the fair provided parents with a sense of security and reassurance. He noted that children getting lost at the event was usually due to their explorative nature; however, parent’s lack of awareness was also a factor.

“Sometimes parents would hop on a ride, leaving the child with an older child, or maybe by themselves, assuming someone would look after them.”

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He explained the response from those who registered their children with the free service was overwhelmingly positive. The program also helped police officers.

Commander Jesse Gilbert of the Battlefords RCMP detachment said, “It’s fantastic to have them [the COPP] there, proactively doing this program and reuniting the kids with their parents when they get lost at the fair.”

“Prior to the program, the only options for parents were to get the staff’s assistance or contact the officers doing patrols. So, before COPP, it would consume a lot of work from our members,” he explained.

According to Doug Fehr, the chairperson of CCOP, they made over 120 phone calls to parents and caregivers during the three-day fair with its new Child Reunite Service. ( photo/ submitted by Doug Fehr )

Gilbert further stated that, in addition to this collaboration, COPP has always been very helpful in investigating day-to-day crimes due to their close partnership.

Officers inform COPP members when they receive a report of crime. Volunteers keep an eye out for anything suspicious and report it back to the officers if they do. The RCMP also has a liaison who regularly attends the volunteer group’s meetings.

“We only have a limited number of officers available, and we can’t be everywhere at once within the city, so having a group of volunteers who are out and about looking for things that we don’t, is great,” Gilbert said.

Fehr said they have helped the RCMP gather more than 300 CCTV recordings throughout the years to assist with investigations. A recent example was when they provided COPP with information about a stolen vehicle. The citizens on patrol located the car and RCMP recovered it promptly.

“If we’re attempting to solve something, essentially, we don’t have to dedicate as many hours towards it because we have them looking as well, so they can expedite,” Gilbert said.

He hopes that this partnership will continue in the future. He encourages people to take part in volunteering patrol programs, as he believes it should be everyone’s priority to keep the city safe and in order.

“The first quarter (of crime statistics), our numbers were extremely good, better than in the last five years. So, I’m hoping the trend continues,” he said.

Anyone interested in volunteering for COPP can visit its Facebook page, the City of North Battleford, and the Town of Battleford websites.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com