Call it vigilante justice if you wish, but if our policing agencies are behind it, we should be willing to participate.
The citizen directed and promoted Neighbourhood Watch program has a good chance of being resurrected in Estevan and we applaud the efforts being made by local citizens such as Beckey Franke and the Estevan Police Service in making it happen. (See front page story).
Put quite simply, Neighbourhood Watch and other programs like it, such as the Rural Crime Watch and the Report Impaired Drivers (RID) work. They are not 100 per cent, nothing is, but if they can help reduce crime in and around Estevan, why wouldn't we embrace and participate?
Membership doesn't require paying a fee, it doesn't require hours of commitment or physical effort. The only requirement is a little knowledge and the use of some of our natural instincts and observational powers.
With the growth of our city and the surrounding communities, there is a huge need for more participation in the crime-fighting world.
Those who are sick and tired of being victims now have an opportunity to be proactive.
Reporting suspicious activity, phoning the police when you see an obviously inebriated person climb into the driver's side of a vehicle, noting and reporting those two people lurking in the shadows or in the bathroom, making an exchange, spotting the car or truck that makes consistent trips up and down your street or alley ... and it doesn't belong to anyone on your block.
Knowing who your neighbours are and when they go to work will help. It may sound snoopy on the surface, but if you help them avoid a home invasion, you can be a quiet community hero.
Talking with your neighbours about a Neighbourhood Watch program will help. You can discuss how you can cover one another's back, how you can avoid exposing the security weak spots in your respective backyards or garages. You can talk about security systems, lighting, keeping good sight lines without being invasive.
As police service members have noted, the thieves and druggies have their own culture and educational systems which they call upon to do the bad deeds. It might be a good idea for the victims to arm themselves with knowledge and preventative measures.
Anyone who has ever had a vehicle stolen, or had items taken from a vehicle, or been the victim of a home invasion will probably agree that the sense of being violated is strong enough to spur them into action. It may be relatively passive action, more like an awareness and the willingness to report unusual activities. Often that is all that it takes to reduce local crime.
Let the police know what you know in a timely manner. They're willing to do the heavy lifting in terms of investigations and arrests. They're just asking us to be willing partners, not disinterested bystanders.
