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THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE HAS APPEARED IN THE RECORD July 10, 2002

Helping to make your community
a safer place


Communities all across Canada are relying more and more on a wide variety of crime prevention concepts such as neighborhood watches. Not only do they help make our communities safer by addressing crime prevention issues, but they also fit the modern profile of community policing.

With over 2.3 million crimes being committed every year, and only one police officer per 544 population, it is impossible for Canada's 57,000 law enforcement officers to be vigilant on every street corner. With property crimes - including include break and entry, theft and vandalism - exceeding 1.2 million per year, the police can't be expected to protect each and every home.

Failing sophisticated security measures or living in a gated community under the vigilant eyes of private security officers, the risks of becoming another crime statistic are ever present. The minute we leave our homes unattended for work or vacation, they become vulnerable to theft.

Although the crime prevention concept of Neighborhood Watch came into prominence in the late 1960s in response to an increasing number of break and entries, it wasn't exactly a revolutionary idea. After all, rare were the homeowners who didn't rely on their immediate neighbors or family members to keep a watchful eye on their properties while away for long periods. Whether it meant removing an accumulation of newspapers from the doorstep or repositioning the owner's parked vehicle, they constituted common sense preventive measures long before the 70's.

What the neighborhood watch concept achieved, however, was it got every homeowner involved - it extended the vigilant eyes to entire neighborhoods? Despite the variety of programs, which range from encouraging citizens to make their homes and those of their neighbors less inviting to thieves to the creation of citizen patrols, they all aim at reducing the opportunity for crime.

At the lower range of citizen participation are mutual aid programs involving varying degrees of police co-ordination. Neighbors act as an extra set of "eyes and ears" for the police by keeping a close look on each other's property. Whenever they notice something suspicious they take detailed notes and call the police either directly or via their "sector captain."

A good example is the Town of Sutton. Seventy per cent of the residential sector is covered by a Neighborhood Watch program, much like 20 per cent of Sutton Township. Each participant paid a one-time $5 fee, and in return received security literature as well as a window warning decal reminding potential thieves their homes are under observation.

Within 18 months of when the program was put into effect, brake and entries dropped considerably. For the last 10 years, four sectors in Bromont representing 50 per cent of the residential population have also been involved in Neighborhood Watch. What are citizen patrols?

Citizen patrols, which are more prominent in Western Canada and the United States, involve a much higher level of citizen participation. Dedicated volunteers donate their time to assist and support law enforcement in the reduction and deterrence of crime. A citizen patrol can cover any location, from an apartment lobby to an entire neighborhood. The aim is to report incidents and problems to the police, as well as to provide a visible presence capable of deterring non-violent crimes, such as vandalism, loitering and car theft. Volunteers walk, use bicycles, or drive in an area on a regular basis. Whenever they notice suspicious activities they contact the police through two-way radios or cellular phones. They have no policing powers, carry no weapons and wait until the police arrive.

Crime prevention groups in some parts of the country have taken the Neighborhood Watch concept and extended it to fit their respective community needs. Inasmuch as the traditional volunteer model was focused almost exclusively on crime-related issues today, they now include just about any aspect that adversely affects the community's quality of life.

In some areas, groups are formed to participate in neighborhood cleanups, while in others they are trained to be better prepared for natural disasters. Some assist the police in traffic control, while others make vacation and welfare checks on the elderly and disabled, especially during extended Hydro failures. Here are a few examples of the type of services provided by volunteers: St. John's, Newfoundland

In St. John's, Newfoundland, a group of over 40 volunteers belong to the Newfoundland Community Patrol. The volunteers walk their community streets and take note of vandalism, graffiti, garbage disposal problems and derelict housing. Whenever they encounter a problem they report it to the proper authorities.

Los Angeles

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has a program going under the name of Volunteers on Patrol involving the training of community volunteers to assist the sheriff and his deputies. The volunteers monitor areas with graffiti, check on the welfare of shut-ins, make security checks of parks and schools and then relay their findings to the deputies.

Westmount Borough

The City of Westmount Community Police Station, now a Montreal borough, relies on seniors as volunteers who track and analyze the locations where property crimes occurred. The station uses this information to make sure citizen patrols are assigned to areas where crimes are more common.

Nanaimo, B.C.

In Nanaimo, a group of community volunteers patrol the streets during high crime periods. Thanks to their communications system, which includes a dispatcher, their observations are constantly relayed to the local RCMP Detachment.

Richmond, B.C.

In Richmond, B.C., a Citizens' Crime Watch Patrol was established in 1983. As a community-based program that involves citizens patrolling their community in their own vehicles, volunteers also assist police in detecting and preventing crime. Any suspicious criminal activity is reported to a base station, which in turn reports to the police. These incidents are evaluated by the police who carry through with the appropriate response. The program participants have no direct contact with offenders. Starting up a

Neighborhood Watch Patrol

If you believe that certain problems in your area deserve joint police-community interventions, why not try out a Neighborhood Watch? Contact either the National Neighborhood Watch Institute or your local police community co-coordinator who will be happy to supply you with all of the necessary information on how to get started.