Niverville citizens are fighting back against crime in their neighbourhoods by bringing back the Citizens on Patrol Program (COPP). This isn’t the first time the town has enacted COPP, with the original COPP program running for more than 20 years from 1991 until 2014, and revisions of the program popping up in 2017 with the Niverville Crime Prevention Program and Neighbourhood Watch.
While it’s unconfirmed whether rural crime is on the rise or if social media has shed more light on crimes, many Niverville citizens think the town could benefit from a greater police presence. Whether or not that’s on the horizon, residents have been vocal on social media about wanting an interim solution.
Thus was birthed the creation of the new COPP.
In 2014, Lindsay Unrau ran for town council. Her main platform was to consider the development of an independent police department. While she lost that election, her passion for providing a safer community hasn’t wavered. Nearly four years later, she is taking an active role as Niverville’s COPP Coordinator.
“On a personal level, I’ve been looking for ways to make our town a safer place,” Unrau says. “In the summer of 2017, a local resident and I came together and travelled to as many houses as we could in a span of two weeks with a petition asking for the support of residents in asking council to put an independent study together to determine if a police department would be effective and financially efficient. We received more than 500 signatures in support. Since then, the town has hired on the consultation services of a retired police officer to create a study to determine the effectiveness of a police department. However, we’re still waiting for this study to conclude.”
The COPP is an accredited program through MPI which focuses on deterrence, education, and awareness for residents. It’s important to note that the intention of the program is not for residents to step in during crime-related activity. Instead patrollers will report suspicious activity to the RCMP and act as another set of eyes and ears.
Due to the nature of the program, all volunteers must go through a mandatory two-hour training session in order to learn personal safety, observation skills, note-taking, priority-setting, and when to report to the RCMP, according to Unrau.
“We hope to encourage volunteers to patrol at least once a month,” she says. “Of course, this will all depend on how many volunteers are willing to take up the challenge.”
For the program to be successful and achieve longevity a volunteer base of 20 or more volunteers is necessary. Currently the program has ten.
On January 15, Unrau, Kenzie McGarry, and Ritchot COPP coordinator Marianne Curtis held a meeting at Bistro 290 in Niverville where they met with residents who were interested in the program. Through this meeting, they were able to gain insight into what has worked in the past, what hasn’t, and what is currently working for another community.
Although they hope to get feet on the ground by spring at the latest, there is still a lot of grunt work that needs to be done, including officially registering with MPI.
“Following that, we look to create an official COPP council made up of residents who intend to patrol and others who would just like to be involved in the organization of the program,” explains Unrau. “Next we will plan our two-hour training session and get out volunteers applying for their criminal record check, at no cost to the volunteer… The more help we have, the sooner we can accomplish some of these steps.”
While Niverville’s town council is aware that this program is underway, so far they have taken no direct involvement, something Unrau would like to see.
“We would love for town council to get involved!” she says. “We will be much more successful if we have their 100 percent support and if they are open to helping us create incentives to encourage residents to volunteer. Members of council are also welcome to join our COPP council so that they have a direct insight into our progress.”
One of the ways in which Unrau intends to get more bodies on the ground is to offer incentives to volunteers, whether it’s through prizes and draws or by creating competitions with other COPP programs nearby. Either way, Unrau wants to make sure that all the volunteers are looking forward to working their patrol shift and feel energized to keep the community safe.
The community will be kept abreast of any changes or updates, as well as the COPP presence in neighbourhoods, through social media, so as to avoid feelings of scepticism or fear. Residents are encouraged to follow the Niverville COPP Facebook page for updates, as well as take part in community events.
It’s not just homeowners who will reap the benefits of regular patrols. Businesses will benefit as well.
“We would like to invite local businesses to get involved in this endeavour,” Unrau says. “We will be asking local businesses to help in the creation of incentives for volunteers. We also want to hear from business owners about how we can be the best of service to them… We would also like to invite local business owners to join our COPP council so that we can keep a close ear to their needs.”
