C.O.P. Program needs volunteers

Details

Published on Monday, July 10, 2017

Submitted
Neepawa Citizens on Patrol Program

Talk around town recently, in coffee groups and social media, is prevalent with the recent increase of obscene graffiti tagging, property damage and break, enter and thefts, especially a rash of bicycle thefts.

There are very basic steps that our residents can take to make our community safer. There appears to be people who find that pulling out garden and flower plants, stealing or damaging lawn ornaments, breaking into sheds or garages and stealing someone else’s property from residential back yards or spray painting obscenity on private buildings and our town “welcome” sign a cool thing to do. Not so cool or funny for the victims of these criminal behaviours. It is time to take several crime prevention initiatives to nip these activities now. The local police need every one of us to help them find the responsible people.

Here are several simple things everyone can do to safeguard our community and especially your own property.
• Watch for people in your immediate neighbourhood. People who are walking along your front street or the back lane that you believe are acting suspiciously. This behaviour can happen during the daytime hours, as they may be casing residential properties for things they can come around later to steal.
• Keep your property locked up. Always keep your front doors locked when in the back yard. Lock all doors and secure windows when away from your home. Invest in a security system to light up your home or other buildings when someone enters your yard after dark. Invest in and use heavy duty locks for your sheds and garage doors. Padlocks can be easily compromised. Use your phone apps to alert you when an intruder is trespassing on your property, whether you are at home or away.
• Manually lock up your bicycles. Use the heavy “U” locks or secure the bikes to solid unmovable railings, even when you have them stored inside your garage or sheds. Never leave your bikes, scooters or toys on your front yard.
• Be vigilant for your neighbours. Use social media to alert your friends if you see something suspicious. If you are actually observing a criminal activity taking place, call the Neepawa R.C.M.P emergency number at 204-476-7338 during the daytime hours or 911 after office hours. Set up these phone numbers on your phones contact list.

Finally, the Neepawa Citizens on Patrol Program  crime prevention group is looking for volunteers. The C.O.P.P. group act as the additional “eyes and ears” in the community to assist the local R.C.M.P. in a community policing program, as established by the local police services and endorsed by the Manitoba Public Insurance. Each volunteer member is trained, matched up with a patrol partner and scheduled for a minimum of four hours of patrol per month. The dates and patrol times are the members’ choice, but are coordinated by the C.O.P.P.
If you can find four hours a month that you can give to this community crime prevention program, contact the Neepawa R.C.M.P. office at 204-476-7340 or the C.O.P.P. Coordinator Clint at 204-841-4180, for more information about the organization and the application for membership procedure.