RCMP Crime Watch Advisory Network goes provincial

The Saskatchewan RCMP Crime Watch Advisory Network is expanding to include the entire province after a successful launch in the southern part of the province.

The network was launched last month for detachments in southern Saskatchewan. Initially, the plan was to expand the project after an 18-month evaluation period, but the Saskatchewan RCMP decided to nix that plan, and move forward with immediate expansion after an outpouring of usage and support.

“It became apparent very quickly that there was a lot of interest — even without the program being accessible in the central and northern portions of the province, we’re getting a great number of people signing up in those areas already,” Saskatchewan RCMP Commanding Officer Assistant Commissioner Mark Fisher said at an unveiling media conference Thursday.

That means people can sign up for alerts and advisories from one or all of the 137 RCMP detachments in the province by going to the website, or by downloading the official app from the App Store or Google Play. Detachments will then be able to send text messages, emails and phone calls directly to the people in the network.

The expanded system will not only give residents a greater awareness of what kind of crimes are occurring but will allow them to quickly respond with tips to police.

“Getting that information out in the community engages members of the community that may not have been engaged in the past,” Fisher said. “And we’re not looking at going through several protocols or the time it would take developing a formal media release.”

Administration resources aren’t the only thing being saved by the crime watch advisory network; tips will also help officers cut down on the response time in areas that have become tired of slow response in the past, Fisher said.

“If we get information sent in to the police in a much more timely manner, that allows us to focus our response and our efforts to a much smaller geographical area,” he explained.

Judy Harwood, a director with the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, said a program like this is what’s been needed in rural communities for years.

“I think it’s going to have some growing pains,” she said. “But I think we’re going in the right direction.”

Since its launch on March 7, 5,400 people had signed up for the program.

E. Dutch Lerat, third vice-chief with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, was pleased to see the expansion more than 16 months ahead of schedule.

“We are very involved in keeping our communities safe,” he said. “We’re very happy that it’s moving north sooner than later.”