Sometimes words aren't adequate in describing something. Saying that Sunshine Coast RCMP Const. Roi Moore is passionately proud of the work done by Citizens on Patrol (COP) is like that.
"Everyone is interested in community safety," said Moore. He said the communities of Sechelt and Gibsons are especially lucky to have dedicated core groups of volunteers keeping COP a strong program.
This year COP celebrated its tenth year as an active group on the Coast. Sechelt and Gibsons RCMP liaison officers Melissa Trzecak and Moore as well as Gibsons co-odinator Paulette Collins say they are honoured to be a part of the program - a program that supports, encourages and helps people to take active responsibility in helping protect their family, friends and neighbours from crime.
COP is as much about crime prevention as it is about crime reporting. Moore said the program is about people taking the time out of their busy lives to spend a couple of hours where they can, so they can be a second set of eyes and ears in protecting the community from people who are out to satisfy their own self-interests.
He said that's probably one of the reasons why he thinks COP is such a great program and he is so amazed and proud of the volunteers that make it work. Moore said it's important for people to realize that COP is a separate organization from the RCMP, but that they do work in partnership.
What makes a COP volunteer so valuable when they are out on patrol is that through their training, they know how to not just observe, but also what to observe and how to interpret and understand what they are seeing. They also know what details to focus on and how to describe a situation and/or event, communicating important information to police, Moore said.Collins said in addition to training from the RCMP, they also get training and work on ICBC related crime prevention programs. "We work on the auto theft recovery program," said Collins. Though a hand-held database, when a patrol sees a car that seems out of place or suspicious, they are able to run the licence plates against the information they have on stolen vehicles.Collins said COP is also part of an ICBC safety program. She said patrollers go through mall parking lots assessing cars. Depending on what they find, a car owner will come back and find either a 'well done' ticket under their windshield wiper or ticket reminding them to lock their cars and store valuables out of sight.
The program is always in need of volunteers and is open to anyone 19 and over who passes a criminal records check. For more information on how to volunteer with COP, call the RCMP at 604- 885-2266.
