Shown is Doug Fehr (COPP), centre left, at Town of Battleford's council meeting Tuesday. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW staff)

By Angela Brown

Presentation to town council

COPP still looking for more volunteers

Sep 7, 2022 | 5:53 PM

Battlefords Citizens on Patrol Program (COPP) hopes to get more volunteers to patrol in both North Battleford and Battleford.

Representative Doug Fehr gave a presentation on the group’s work and requested some support from the Town of Battleford at council’s meeting Tuesday.

“We act as another set of eyes and ears for the protective services in the Battlefords by carrying out vehicular patrols, always in pairs, and with volunteers’ vehicles within the Battlefords,” he said.

Currently the non-profit has about 15 active members, and about another half a dozen who haven’t participated in a while.

Several years ago the group had about 30 members but numbers have been declining in recent years, due in part to the impact of the pandemic.

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But Fehr remains optimistic.

“Quite recently we’ve seen a rejuvenation of sorts, with five new active members and several more in the application process,” he said.

The group’s new strategic plan focuses on trying to recruit more members and increase awareness about the COPP’s work.

The COPP will have representatives at the Downtown North Battleford Business Improvement District (BID) Fall Festival event Sept. 10 and the Battleford Community Spirit Group’s Fall Festival and Street Fair Sept. 17.

Fehr said ideally the group would like to have 125 volunteers, with two patrols in the city and one in the town, three times a night, seven days a week. People can also patrol in the daytime.

The COPP also wants to get more people to register their security cameras, a tool created to assist police with investigations when they occur in the homeowner’s neighbourhood.

“When you have your security cameras registered, the information will be shared with the RCMP and the community safety officers,” Fehr said. “We may contact you to review your security footage, only if an incident has occurred in your area, and the request is strictly voluntary.”

Fehr said the COPP hopes the town will consider making a financial contribution to the group for the 2023 year during the budget process. He said an alternative form of financial support could be modeled from the City of North Battleford’s outdoor security camera assistance program.

“I’m a stronger believer in providing some monies towards something, versus providing COPP some money that goes into a pot and pays for gas…,” Fehr said. “When it’s a targeted contribution it can be more effective. Security cameras perhaps don’t prevent crime, but they certainly aid the protective services to catch the perpetrators. We don’t have anywhere near the number of security cameras that we really should. That would be my preference for council to examine.”

As far as recruiting goes, Battleford Mayor Ames Leslie said the COPP might have an opportunity to raise more awareness about its work at an upcoming event being looked at.

“We’re in the preliminary planning discussion with the RCMP with having a Fall Crime Awareness Open House,” Leslie said. “We would give you guys enough notice so you could partake and be a part of that, and get some volunteers out of that as well. We could tell people to step up and make a difference.”

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow