The first tour of Citizens on Patrol Program (COPP) proved to be successful after a group was able to help a woman in distress on Church Street, Friday night.
COPP had roughly 20 volunteers out for various patrols Friday night to kick-start the program.
“It was very good,” said COPP vice-chair Dave Etienne. “We had two patrols, one at 4 pm and one at 7 pm, and we heard a lot of positive comments on Main Street.”
Etienne was one of a few doing a foot patrol Friday evening as Main Street, Hapnot Street and Church Street were all covered.
“It turned out good,” said Etienne, pleased with the group’s first night out.
Volunteers patrolled the streets of Flin Flon until 9 pm on Friday – the first of many tours to come.
“It was an excellent turnout,” he said with 20 volunteers, of the 24-member roster. “I’m glad to see COPP in progress again.”
It the third time a community group has launched a COPP program, this time with new leadership.
Secretary Cathy Daneliuk, who was involved in the previous 2005 attempt, says this year the intent “seems to be more structure.”
“Not that we weren’t keen before,” said Daneliuk, “but it seems to be a more structured program. And because of that, I think it will last.”
Although there will be daily patrols for the “eyes and ears of the RCMP,” Etienne says it “will be completely random.”
“It’s going to be done when the members can do it,” he said, noting that patrols could take place in the morning, daytime or evening with varying lengths of shifts.
Daneliuk says the busy schedules of the members doesn’t mean the program can’t work – it will just work differently.
“It doesn’t mean we can’t help out when we have a minute,” she said. “The more people we have out to help our police officers, the better. More eyes and more ears are a good thing.”
Daneliuk, a firm believer in the program, says Flin Flon is a “such a tight knit community” that it makes working together easy.
“We only have x amount of officers so we can help them,” she said. “They are more than willing to help us and we’re both working on the same page here.”
Reports
COPP will be required to inform the Flin Flon RCMP detachment of any suspicious activity during their patrols.
Other activity will be recorded in a field notebook and submitted to both the RCMP as well as the provincial coordinator once it is filled.
Etienne says the field notebook could provide references and information for cases.
“Any particularly suspicious activity or a crime that is seen (is) reported to the RCMP immediately,” said Etienne.
