Citizens on Patrol and Alberta RCMP sign official partnership

There are currently 29 members of Citizens On Patrol in Red Deer and Dawson said the door is always open to new applicants. Members receive training regarding what can and can’t be done on patrol as well as proper reporting and safety procedures.

“The biggest benefit (of Citizens On Patrol) is that it is more eyes and ears out on the road watching the community. We might see something going on and report it as suspicious, but people wouldn’t even know. We could be sitting right beside them and they wouldn’t think twice, but if there was a cop car beside them they might stop,” said Dawson.

The signed partnership means consistency, said Dawson. It also means that the levels of cooperation between the RCMP and Citizens on Patrol will continue to increase.

Constable Derek Turner with the Red Deer RCMP said the signed agreement helps guarantee a strong relationship and a continued relationship between the two organizations.

“We have a pretty strong and pretty large Citizens On Patrol group right now. They’re like another set of eyes or two sets of eyes really that are going out looking for crimes that are happening and report to us quickly,” said Turner.

Turner said the RCMP relies heavily on the community and regular citizens to help them in their jobs, so having people engaged in the activity of crime prevention helps keep the community safe.

“I can see that (the partnership) is only going to benefit things. Hopefully it will make the relationship stronger and ensure that everybody is held accountable to make sure that relationship remains strong and that (the RCMP) continues to work with our community on initiatives like that,” said Turner.

by Kirsten Dennis

Citizens on Patrol and Alberta RCMP sign official partnership

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