A Rural Crime Watch (RCW) program in Division 4 of the RM of Corman Park south of Saskatoon is getting a new lease on life.
The group began in the Moon Lake, Merrill Hills and Cedar Villa area of Corman Park nearly 30 years ago, and has experienced peaks and valleys in its membership and activities over the decades.
The latest push to revitalize the crime watch initiative comes at a time when the area’s population is expanding, with many new families moving in, according to Betty Aasen, a volunteer coordinator of the organization.
“It started with a meeting at Judy Harwood’s dining room table in the 1990s,” said Aasen. “At the time, Judy was a member of Corman Park council representing this area. She’s now the Reeve, and has always been a strong supporter of the crime watch program.”
Aasen said the group currently has about 250 members, with new people being added all the time. She noted there is no membership fee.
She added the group is also reporting incidents to the police.
The membership area is bordered by Highway 60 on the west, the South Saskatchewan River on the east, and the city boundary to the north. Membership is voluntary, and communication within the group is via email messages.
“Email is a good way of notifying people about suspicious vehicles in the area or any kind of possible criminal activity,” said Aasen. “It’s a safe area, but crime can happen anywhere, and it’s important to have people watching out for each other. It helps keep everyone safe.”
Harwood said the initial push for a rural crime watch group was to bring the area together with the common goal of safety.
“When the group started we had a great uptake by our residents,” said Harwood. “We certainly explained that our group would be the eyes and ears for the area without engaging and getting into a dangerous situation.”
Harwood said original RCW signs were purchased from money contributed by the membership. The signs were put up on the main highways and roads entering the area. Signs were also available for residents to post on their own property.
She said there is a continuing need for the group.
“With all the businesses in our area we get a huge amount of traffic in the spring, summer and fall months,” said Harwood. “With traffic there’s lots of people. We know there is more crime in our region, being close to Saskatoon makes that inevitable, sadly.”
Harwood said she supports RCW, but noted it takes committed people to keep it alive and thriving.
“I encourage people to call the Corman Park Police and report suspicious or abandoned vehicles,” she said. “If you can get a license plate number and description of the vehicle, it is extremely helpful for our police. Our officers know our area, and they will respond.”
Persons living in the Moon Lake, Cedar Villa and Merrill Hills area who are interested in becoming involved with the local crime watch group can contact Aasen at b.baasen@sasktel.net.
Corman Park Police Chief Ron Chomyn said Rural Crime Watch is a positive way for residents to become involved in creating safer communities.
“The objective, and benefit, of any type of ‘Watch’ program, is for that community to be proactive in crime prevention,” said Chomyn. “The purpose of a Crime Watch program is to encourage community involvement in the reduction of crime through residents reporting criminal or suspicious activity, persons, or vehicles in that community.”
He added the community benefits through lower crime rates and a greater sense of security and well-being.
“It is important to note this should not be, nor is it intended, as a citizen patrol,” said Chomyn. “It is a police-supported program that benefits jurisdictional police by having those extra sets of ‘eyes’ that can report suspicious incidents to police that we can act upon.
“Police do not want residents to put themselves in harm’s way at any time by acting upon a suspicious person or vehicle themselves.”
Chomyn said most rural crime is property crime, and it is not worth the risk for community residents to confront suspicious persons.
“There are initiatives such as signage and having residents make an inventory of their property, marking all valuables with a driver’s license number, for example, that assist police in investigating crimes if necessary,” said Chomyn.
Aasen said the police do a good job, but they can’t be everywhere at once. She said observations reported by alert citizens can also prove valuable during subsequent investigations into other incidents which may prove to be related.
“Even mundane incidents, like loose cattle or horses on the roads, is nice to know about because it’s a safety issue,” she added.
Chomyn said the RM of Corman Park is a large area and as much as officers conduct patrols daily, police cannot always be in the right place at the right time.
“Reports and calls from Crime Watch groups and individuals can and will be acted upon in a prompt manner, as are all calls for service, dependent on the resources available, and of course, the nature of the call,” said Chomyn. “Corman Park Police Service welcomes Crime Watch groups as a cooperative effort in helping reduce rural crime and maintaining quality of life in these communities.”
According to the Saskatchewan RCMP, areas that have an organized and active crime watch tend to have a significant reduction in criminal activity. Rural Crime Watch signage in the area also deters property crime, including break-and enters, vandalism, dumping of garbage, theft of grain, livestock, machinery and farm vehicles.