OXBOW — Oxbow has been taking steps to bring a Â鶹´«Ã½AVeast Citizens on Patrol chapter to the town.
Tara Allen, who has taken the lead for the program in Oxbow, said roughly 50 people have already committed, but she would always welcome more because some might have to withdraw.
"I would love to see a whole bunch sign up and then go from there," Allen said in an interview with Â鶹´«Ã½AV.
She was approached by a member of the community about the concept. From there, she wanted to see if there was local interest, then she talked with a similar group in Alida, met with the RCMP and created a board of directors, which she said led to a lot of people expressing interest and registering.
Allen believes a citizens on patrol group is needed in Oxbow because of the amount of crime in the area.
"Between the drugs, the thefts, the vandalism, etc., the RCMP can't be everywhere, so we just thought that this would be a good way. It helps. It's the eyes and ears for the RCMP, and we're hoping to – if not totally eliminate it, which is almost an impossibility – at least deter a lot of the crime," said Allen.
The members of the program would be volunteers. If they spot a crime or something suspicious, then they would report it to the RCMP. They don't arrest or pursue people.
"We are eyes and ears. We report it. If we see something actively happening, we'll have dash cameras and stuff. We can take pictures. We can take notes. We're calling it in," Allen said.
It's not up and running yet, because once people sign up, they need to have a criminal record check completed. Then there is a training session that Allen said would be two or three hours, covering the legalities of what they can and can't do. They also learn procedures for when they're on patrol and how to radio into dispatch.
But once it is up and running, Allen hopes it can have a presence in the town around the clock. She recognizes it would be challenging because most people have jobs, so it depends on who can do what and when. Shift lengths and times have yet to be finalized. Participants would be volunteers.
"Obviously, most things happen in the middle of the night, and not during the day," said Allen. "So, it will be shift work. And there's always two people together, whether you're on foot walking around town, or you're driving around."
Allen is pleased with the progress thus far. It's been a lot of work in the past 1 1/2 weeks due to the amount of interest.
Once Oxbow Citizens on Patrol is up and running, there will be quarterly meetings with liaisons from different groups and the RCMP.
Their first board meeting was May 4, which was needed to open their first bank account. A general information session will be happening on May 9 at the Oxbow Memorial Hall, starting at 7 p.m. Allen said it's open to the public from Oxbow and the surrounding areas, and it will explain the program. It will also be a chance for people to pick up their criminal record checks.
Allen said the Carnduff RCMP detachment was been very co-operative.
"We find the sergeant (Michel Chateauneuf) I've been working with is very community-oriented. And he's all about the community and the RCMP working together," said Allen.
