It was just after 4:00 AM on a Friday night. Bernie, the volunteer coordinator for the Mill Woods Community Patrol (MWCP) was driving me home after I tagged along for a patrol. As we were driving home down an empty Elerslie Road, Bernie suddenly swerved the van quickly to the left, narrowly missing a shopping cart someone had left lying on its side in the middle of Elerslie road-- had a different driver been slightly less alert, the cart could have caused an accident. Before continuing to drive on, Bernie pulled over and we moved the cart onto the sidewalk and out of the way of traffic. Many other much more exciting stories happened throughout my patrol, but I signed a police statement saying that I wouldn’t disclose the details. If you really want to know, sign up for a ride-along yourself!
Bernie, and the volunteers with the MWCP are good Samaritans-- the kind of people who are always looking out for their neighbours. They are dedicated volunteers who spend their evenings wired to radios, cruising around the Mill Woods area watching out for suspicious persons, searching for stolen cars, and keeping an eye out for anything unusual. Whether it is moving hazards out of the road, or reporting broken windows at a local business, the volunteers don’t stop looking out for their neighbourhood just because their shift is over.
During evenings when the EPS have numerous other crimes to deal with, the MWCP is there watching out for the south east side of our city. When I asked him about the effectiveness of the patrols he responded, "Instead of one Police Officer driving around with one pair of eyes, we now have 22 eyeballs keeping the community safe. Our presence alone can sometimes be an effective deterrent." On an average evening, the MWCP has a series of cars patrolling various hotspots around the Mill Woods area, especially potential hotspots that have experienced increases in vandalism, auto-theft or other calls.
Community based policing is on the rise in Edmonton. The Community Police Radio Network, the MWCP and others such as the Southeast Central Community Patrol offer citizens a way to take an active role in keeping their community safe. Volunteer patrols provide an effective deterrent by reporting suspicious persons and activities that would go usually go unnoticed. This is especially true come 1:30AM when the bars empty and the MWCP patrollers observe the roads and radio in suspected drunk drivers.
The MWCP only asks volunteers to commit to a 4-6 hour shift a month. For information go to www.mwcp.ca. They are always looking for a few more pairs of eyes. |