BY KEITH LACEY
The Citizens on Patrol (COPS) program has been a huge success in Capreol.
The Greater Sudbury Police Service held another of its Community Policing Forums Tuesday night in Capreol, where the COPS program first started as a pilot project a couple of years ago.
Since dozens of citizens have become involved and started acting “as the eyes and ears of the police service,” crime rates have decreased significantly, said Police Chief Ian Davidson.
Davidson told the forum that violent crimes have decreased significantly, as have thefts, break and enters and the number of stolen vehicles.
The number of mischiefs, most which involve young people with too much time on their hands, is the only area which has seen any significant increase since the COPS program started, said Davidson.
“We feel this program is a very good idea and one that is working,” he said.
Volunteers act as eyes and ears by reporting suspicious behaviour, but they are never to get involved personally in trying to catch criminals, he said.
“They are not allowed to take action...they report to us (police) and we will take the appropriate action.”
All COPS volunteers are given intensive training.
Davidson expects more people to come on board as city council recently approved $75.000 in additional funding for the program.
“It’s a great program, but it’s labour intensive and it is expensive.”
Davidson said community policing forums are part of the police service’s mandate to introduce a rural-based community policing initiative this year.
This project will mean more than one dozen new officers hired will work specifically in smaller communities in Greater Sudbury, said Davidson.
The police service will be using the Lionel Lalonde Centre in Azilda as the home base for officers involved in the program.
The Lionel Lalonde Centre will be the new home not only for rural officers, but also emergency services and fire services under the rural community initiative.
“The idea is enhanced police visibility and response in the smaller towns,” he said.
The COPS program is going to become more important under this new model.
All storefront operations currently being used in smaller communities will remain open. While officers will be dispatched from the Lionel Lalonde Centre, citizens volunteering with COPS can make calls about suspicious activity and there will be at least one officer available in each storefront at all times to handle things, he said.
