The pilot program in North Battleford to establish Community Safety Officers in the city is expanding across the province.
Monday, Mayor Ian Hamilton, Fire Chief Albert Headrick, and other North Battleford officials joined Saskatchewan corrections and policing minister Christine Tell in Regina for the provincial launch of the Community Safety Officer Program in communities throughout Saskatchewan.
The pilot program began in North Battleford on a six-month trial basis with the hiring of two Community Safety Officers. Both were added to the ranks of municipal enforcement this summer, with the positions funded by fine revenues that were to be collected.
Moreover, there was a notable change in the look of bylaw enforcement, with new uniforms and a new look to the patrol vehicles as the officers dealt with traffic and speeding violators and Liquor Act enforcement.
Now, other communities can follow the same path as North Battleford.
According to the corrections minister, any Saskatchewan community can now apply to the province to hire Community Safety Officers to handle these lower-risk offences.
“This will allow communities to address low-risk to harm, high-priority policing needs,” said Tell in a news release.
The City embraced the Community Safety Officers model as part of its strategy to reduce crime and address the community’s dismal showing in the Crime Severity Index across Canada. The strategy has also included adopting the Hub model promoting inter-agency co-operation and intervention, and the hiring of a community safety co-ordinator.
The City approached the province with a wide-ranging crime-reduction proposal that included adding community safety officers. While the City did not receive all of what it wanted, the Ministry of Corrections gave its backing to the community safety officer model and it launched officially in July.
The officers, working for the City in municipal bylaw enforcement and reporting to Headrick, are responsible for such things as traffic and liquor enforcement, municipal bylaws, and foot and vehicle patrols, as well as serving a community liaison function for crime prevention.
The idea was to take over some of the load from the RCMP detachment so that RCMP resources can concentrate on what is described by the province as “higher impact needs,” such as more serious crimes and other enforcement activity.
The pilot program has proved successful from the start. The community safety officers had taken on foot patrols and dealt with a large number of traffic and speeding offences.
As a result of municipal enforcement being able to take on those duties, in September, Battlefords RCMP reported they were able to move two of their constables off traffic duties and back onto the watches. They were also able to deploy two of their officers onto night duties as a result of the changes.
In October, city council confirmed the initial six-month pilot program would continue on a permanent basis.
City officials are delighted with the role North Battleford has played.
“North Battleford has been shown to be the model for the province for how the program works,” Hamilton told council Monday during the budget deliberation session held at City Hall.
For his part, Headrick told reporters “we’re ecstatic.”
“All the credit goes to the mayor and council. It’s through their wisdom and their support that we launched this program.”
It is one of the pillars they have established in regards to creating a safer community, Headrick noted, “it’s been very successful. I think our presence in the community has been accepted, to a degree. You’re going to have people who are going to complain at times, but we’re there front and centre. We’re doing our patrols, we’re doing our downtown walks, we’re engaging the community and I think the end result’s going to be very beneficial when we do our final report.”
He noted the province did an evaluation and the program has “exceeded” the ministry’s expectations, he said.
“I think we are the model and the vision that the province wants to see going forward and I’m sure we’re going to get a lot of interaction with other communities coming up and talking with us about it.”
Also part of the announcement Monday is word that a six-week curriculum is being developed at Saskatchewan Polytechnic to train Community Safety Officers.
The first class of recruits should begin training in February of next year and the expectation is the graduates will be on the job by mid-year, 2015.
One of those at the announcement in Regina was North Battleford Special Cst. Jerry Koliniak. He took part in CPO1 training in Alberta this year from the Alberta Solicitor General Training Academy, qualifying him to be appointed as a Community Safety Officer.
Headrick says having a program in Saskatchewan will benefit “anyone who wants to become a community safety officer in this province” but also noted the new program will “be molded to the needs and circumstances for Saskatchewan.”
The plan now for the department is for two of the city’s other Special Constables/Peace Officers to also enroll in Community Safety Officer training next year, so they can be appointed Community Safety Officers as well.
Headrick confirmed interest by other communities in North Battleford’s model. Those officials have approached the city manager about the initiatives the City has taken on, he said.
Officials with the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities and Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association have issued statements voicing support for the Community Safety Officer model in their municipalities.
SARM acting president Ray Orb said the program “will be a feasible way for rural municipalities to address some priority policing needs they have identified, especially those in the high-growth areas of the province.”
Following the launch announcement, Headrick, Hamilton, Koliniak and other officials were in the legislature for Question Period and were recognized by the corrections minister.
“Seated in your gallery today are a number of people who made this announcement possible,” said Tell in recognizing the individuals in the legislature. “I would like to thank all of you for your collaboration on this program and ask all members to join me in welcoming them to their legislature today.”
Opposition MLA John Nilson of Regina Lakeview also welcomed them and gave his approval to the Community Safety Officer program launch.
“It’s good to see another program moving forward that is a co-operative program, and you can tell that just by the introduction today. It’s when police can work together with the local communities, with Social Services, with Health, then we know that there can be some solutions that are good for all of us.”
