‘Police can’t be everywhere’
Fredericton Police Force sets up Community Watch program, urges resident participation
The Fredericton Police Force is looking for new partners in crime reduction and prevention, and it’s turning to the city residents it’s tasked with serving and protecting.
The force announced the launch of a new neighbourhood watch program Wednesday that it’s dubbed Community Watch, which it says is designed to help residents take a more active role in neighbourhoods safety.
“Based on the long-standing principles of neighbourhood watch initiatives, the Community Watch program provides residents with tools and guidance to prevent crime, build stronger neighbourhood connections and work collaboratively with police,” the police force said in a news release.
“Community Watch is led by residents and supported by the Fredericton Police Force. Police serve as partners and advisors, offering safety tips, guidance and co-ordination assistance, while the program’s success relies on strong communication among neighbours.”
Insp. Bobbi Simmons-Beauchamp told reporters at a news conference Wednesday that there are already several wards in the city that have expressed interest in the program, and the force is hoping to add more to the list.
“We’re hoping that with this communication with the media today to get others on board,” she said.
“The Community Watch really are the eyes and ears of the community … Police can’t be everywhere.”
The way it’s meant to work is by fostering connections among neighbours themselves, she said, and not just with police. The more people talk with their neighbours, the stronger the network becomes, the inspector said.
The police force will rely on residents to gauge interest in their neighbourhoods and to form groups.
“Once a group is formed, the next step is to organize a community meeting and invite representatives from the Fredericton Police Force to share information about the program and answer questions,” the release said.
“A community captain will be chosen by the group to help co-ordinate local efforts and will serve as the point of contact with police’s community watch co-ordinator.”
Simmons-Beauchamp said an added benefit of the ins and outs of the program is that it helps to build connections in the community among neighbours.
She noted the program is one of the recommendations to arise out of the city’s Community Safety Task Force report to strengthen crime-prevention efforts in the capital.
However, the inspector pointed out that Community Watch isn’t intended to transform city residents into detectives or beat cops.
“We are not asking people to go out and investigate crime,” she said, noting police won’t be tasking Community Watch members with collection of evidence or other policing functions.
Instead, it’s about being perceptive about what’s going on in one’s neighbourhood and to be on the lookout for anything suspicious, Simmons-Beauchamp said, adding that what qualifies as suspicious in one part of the city might not seem as such in another.
The level of traffic in a busier neighbourhood as opposed to a quieter one might elicit different reactions, she said as an example.
The police force will provide training to members of groups and community captains, she said, as well as guidance.
In addition to the usual avenues of 911 and the police force’s general phone line for conveying information, the inspector said, there will also be an intermediate line of communication for the Community Watch program.
She said members would typically report items or activity of interest to community captains, who in turn would relay it to the Community Watch co-ordinator officer within the police force by way of email or phone.
That co-ordinator position will be a dedicated officer on the force assigned to that task, she said.
In light of recent controversies with regard to policing within First Nations communities, especially given the shooting of Neqotkuk (Tobique) First Nation resident Bronson Paul by RCMP in that indigenous community last month, a reporter asked how Sitansisk (St. Mary’s) First Nation, on Fredericton’s north side, might fit into the Community Watch program, if at all.
“We’re having conversations with them,” Simmons-Beauchamp said, noting there is interest in the program in the city’s indigenous community.
Community Watch groups have yet to form, she said, as the program is just in its infancy.
More information on how a city neighbourhood can get involved or how residents can become community captains can be found online at this link.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.