Residents in Beiseker are trying to revive their local Citizens On Patrol (C.O.P.) group. A delegation from the Linden Citizens On Patrol has begun meetings with residents in Beiseker this month about the issue of forming a new group.
C.O.P. is a group of volunteer individuals that participate in community crime prevention programs. The groups, which are found across North America, observe, document and report. Members of the group conduct patrols by vehicle, by foot or bicycle. Members are also trained in safe practices and aim to aide local law enforcement.
“We are hoping to get them at another meeting in the near future,” said Beiseker Mayor Ray Courtman. A local C.O.P. group has operated in Beiseker, but has fallen out of use according to the mayor. “We were hoping to talk to other C.O.P. leaders around us to see if we could get ours up and running again using their expertise,” he said.
Initially in 2012, Beiseker volunteers organized a group in response to damage done to buildings and graffiti spread around the village. The Beiseker C.O.P. was supported primarily through donations and funded by the village. Meetings were held initially at the village office and later at the Beiseker Community Centre. Representatives from the Linden group plan to attend a meeting of Beiseker council in the near future to help the community set up their own group.
The first official patrol in the Beiseker was on Feb. 18, 2013. The group was made up of about 17 members. Volunteers patrolled lanes and streets, reported suspicious activity to local RCMP and offered ride-home services to intoxicated individuals.
“I am the type of person that sees a need in a community and does something about it,” said Flo Robinson, president of the Linden COP.
Robinson said Linden is located 26-kilometres north of Beiseker and on the edge of RCMP coverage for the Beiseker detachment and policing in Airdrie.
There are 16 members to the Linden C.O.P.
“You have to be a person of good standing in the community,” said Robinson.
She explained, C.O.P members need to be trustworthy and have a Police Record Check.
Potential members need to pass before the existing board of C.O.P. to make sure individuals are people who suite their cause. The Linden C.O.P. meets once per month on the first Friday of the month.
“When we are trying to be in the community and watching what’s going on, we look like everybody else,” said Robinson. “We are the eyes and the ears of the RCMP,” said Robinson.
