The Battlefords COPP welcomed a Jeep to the volunteer group in November 2023. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Annual report

Battlefords Citizens on Patrol group sees membership, patrols increase

Jan 24, 2024 | 5:36 PM

The Battlefords Citizens on Patrol Program (COPP) has grown substantially in the past year, with membership in the volunteer group about doubling.

Chair Doug Fehr and vice-chair Paul Robertson took part as a delegation to North Battleford city council Monday, providing a year-end report for 2023 for the organization.

Membership numbers saw a dramatic increase, at 26 currently, compared to 15 in mid-2022. As well, four more members are now in the application and training process.

The team also patrolled more blocks, at 36,600 blocks at the end of 2023, up from 17,225 the prior year, so that more than doubled.

The COPP increased its number of patrols in the Town of Battleford, with a focus on certain areas.

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They also took part in about 10 joint patrols the same evenings as the Community Safety Officers (CSOs) in the Battlefords were out, to focus on what are called “car shoppers,” to try to deter the activity.

“That was very successful, and we will continue on with that program in 2024,” Fehr said.

A total of 40 per cent of COPP members completed 80 per cent of total patrols, up from 35 per cent participating in 80 per cent in 2022.

COPP’s biggest role is deterring potential criminals, not trying to catch people in the act.

Fehr said some of the incidents reported during the 2023 patrols included impaired drivers, found stolen vehicles, suspected human trafficking, “car shopping,” suspected theft, and an individual inside locked ATM vestibule.

One of the highlights of 2023 was the COPP’s addition of a JEEP Wrangler, complete with the COPP emblem, to the team.

“We’re really happy to say we acquired a dedicated and marked patrol vehicle,” Fehr said, adding it was supported by funding from BATC Community Development Corporation.

The COPP team also acquired logo vests last spring, so they can better identify themselves in the community while they are on patrol.

“It helps with recruitment, but it also helps to satisfy any concerns some citizens would have,” Fehr said. “The marked patrol vehicle does the same thing. Previously we were in unmarked [vehicles]. Sometimes we’d be travelling around, and citizens would wonder who that is. Are they good guys or bad guys? Now they know we’re the good guys.”

Fehr added the COPP also now have a closer relationship with the RCMP helping with patrols. They also use what’s called a hot spot document to guide their patrols.

“We will check in with the RCMP prior to embarking on patrols,” he said. “The hot spot document is more an evergreen document we use to capture properties that are historically a concern. That tells us which areas to go to.”

Another project the COPP have been involved in last year was the licence-plate fastener pilot program. The COPP sold over 140 anti-theft licence plate fasteners in the process.

Over the past year, the COPP have also taken part in over a dozen community events to promote safety in the community.

They also continue to attempt to encourage more people to include their outdoor security cameras in the registry that’s administered by the COPP.

“I would love to see faster growth of the security camera registry,” Fehr said. “We are under 150 properties in the city that have registered. I don’t think that is [even] five per cent of the cameras that are out there. And in the town we don’t even have 20 cameras registered. We have a lot of work to do to increase the numbers in that registry.”

Deputy Mayor Kent Lindgren is pleased to see the COPP organization building its volunteer membership to boost patrols.

“I think the COPP does an amazing job,” he said. “It’s such an important part of our community.”

Lindgren noted the COPP also plays a valuable role in the community’s sense of wellbeing.

“We just spent some sizable resources looking at what our community safety and wellbeing plan will be, and they fit into that. They don’t know how they measure that deterrence, but I think when we look at overall what our wellbeing is, they have a measurable impact on that,” he said.

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angela.brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW