NORTH BATTLEFORD — This week, it was Citizens on Patrol’s turn to go to North Battleford city council.
A delegation representing the organization, led by Doug Fehr, went before council at their meeting Monday at Don Ross Centre to provide and update.
It was a presentation along the same lines as their pitch to Battleford council the previous week. Fehr updated council on the volunteer organization’s strategic plan as well as their recent success in adding five new active members to their organization since the spring.
A new Citizens on Patrol member was introduced at the meeting — Mayor David Gillan. He was presented his badge by Fehr at the conclusion of the presentation.
During his presentation, Fehr also reiterated plans to step up the visibility of the organization, pointing to their participation in the North Battleford Downtown BID Street Festival held on the weekend.
In terms of communication, Fehr said they needed to “deepen the working relationship with the RCMP and the CSOs, and the Town and the City in order to grow efficiency and self worth.”
They also indicated they plan to apply once again through the city’s Community Development Financial Assistance Program, where they have received funding in previous years.
There was some good news for the organization at the meeting: TD Bank was on hand to announce a grant of $1000 to Citizens on Patrol for crime prevention initiatives.
At the meeting, Mayor Gillan expressed a desire for the ranks of Citizens on Patrol to grow even further. He said he wanted to see at least 50 to 100 members with Citizens on Patrol to be effective to serve a community of 20,000.
Fehr noted that sometime in the future they will also be looking for people in a non-patrolling role. “Patrols are critically important but we also have some needs for some non patrolling volunteers,” said Fehr.
