Regina police launch new community safety programs to prevent crime in neighbourhoods
Neighbourhood watch and safe camera registry programs part of initiative
The Regina Police Service has a new plan for crime prevention in the city.
It has started a neighbourhood watch program called Community ON: Neighbourhood Watch Reimagined, which it says gives residents more ways to help keep their communities safe.
"We listen to the community. We listen to the residents. We listen to our community surveys and what people say," said Regina police Chief Farooq Sheikh.
Community ON builds on already existing programs such as the community crime map and the citizens' police academy.
Sheikh said adding the neighbourhood watch program is about being more transparent.
"Often people say that they're not aware exactly what's going on in the neighbourhood. Often people say they don't see enough of the police," said Sheikh.
"Often people say there's not a two-way dialogue, and often people feel that they're not as safe as they should be."
Community ON will build a comprehensive program aimed at helping the residents understand how they can contribute to crime prevention, he said.
"If there's an increase in crime in an area, they need to know. If there's a decrease in crime in an area, they need to know."
Strengthening engagement
Another part of the initiative is a program called the Neighbourhood Watch Link, which will help police, residents and businesses share information.
It is going to operate as a pilot program for residents in Arcola East, before expanding to more neighbourhoods later this year.
"We cannot expect the law enforcement to be there 24/7," said Yashu Bither, president of the Arcola East Community Association.
Residents will be able to report suspicious behaviour and receive updates around crime trends in the neighbourhood.
Police have also introduced a voluntary camera registry for residents to let police know if they have security cameras and, if an incident is caught on camera, that video can be collected as part of the investigation.
"The data itself will be housed through … the software provider, so we've got a couple of mechanisms in place for that," said deputy police chief Trent Stevely.
"It won't be easily accessible and freely accessible to every employee at [Regina Police Service]. It'll be a select few for investigative purposes."
The program is completely voluntary and free for participants to assist the police.
Anyone interested in signing up for the safe neighbourhood camera registry or learning more about Community ON can visit the Regina police website.
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