New Fairhaven community patrol group in the works for more than a year

A new community patrol group is being established in Saskatoon’s Fairhaven neighbourhood.

The group has been in the works for more than a year, according to Ward 3 Coun. Robert Pearce.

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“This is just taking that to a more formalized step and allowing people to put some energy into something to help get back the community that they used to really enjoy,” he said.

Pearce has been vocal about crime in the Fairhaven and Confederation Urban Centres over the last several years, since the opening of the Emergency Wellness Centre, run by the Saskatoon Tribal Council in Dec. 2021. He called for its closure in 2024 in an open letter to the Premier, health, and social services ministers.

STC Chief Mark Arcand has said there’s been fearmongering about the wellness centre, and that crime is a city problem, not simply a neighbourhood problem.

Pearce said since informal citizen patrols began, it’s had a positive effect in the community. He added that the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) is on board with the new group.

“Chief McBride is a huge fan of community patrols, especially when they’re done in conjunction with police,” he said.

According to a statement from Saskatoon police, Insp. Doug McNeil has been working with Pearce, and SPS – generally speaking – supports the idea of programs designed to allow the community to be directly involved in public safety.

“This includes initiatives such as Neighbourhood Watch and Citizen Patrols. While we would not be involved in providing resources or organization to these programs, we welcome public involvement in keeping our city safe as we are currently doing with this type of initiative in the Fairhaven neighbourhood,” read the police statement.

The group, Pearce said, is supposed to “strictly observe and report,” unless someone someone needs immediate medical help. In that case, a call would be made to 911.

A recruitment drive for those interested in participating in a Fairhaven patrol group is being held in March at the Confederation Inn. (Lara Fominoff/650 CKOM)

“In the long run, it’s about observing the things that are happening in our community, the things that are not good for our community and being able to put a report directly to police to help our stats be more realistic to help provide police with real time information,” he said.

To that end, Pearce said the group will likely use a new app that’s also being used by similar groups in B.C. and Alberta as a pilot project with help from Saskatoon Police.

“The app allows you to – when you start your patrol … it will actually use your GPS to determine the areas you’re patrolling,” Pearce explained.

It also allows users to take pictures and add descriptions. The information is then emailed to Saskatoon Police. Pearce said no public money is being used for the program or for the app and added this information is important for community statistics.

There are no formal neighbourhood watch groups in Saskatoon, despite some ad hoc groups listed on social media, including a “Stonebridge Neighbourhood Watch” group. There has been at least one previous citizen-led patrol, the Okihtcitawak (Warriors) Initiative in 2018, which aimed to protect vulnerable citizens, and Indigenous women and children.

SPS also supports the provincial Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) program, along with employing Alternative Response Officers in areas like Pleasant Hill, Downtown, and Riversdale.

At present, the new Fairhaven group is not part of the Saskatchewan Citizens on Patrol Association (SCOPA). According to chairperson Doug Fehr, the group is “evaluating what, if any involvement it would have with Pearce’s group at this time.”

There are currently SCOPA groups active in the Battlefords, Candle Lake, Wilkie, Kindersley, the Lakeland area, Yorkton, Lloydminster, Tisdale, Moose Jaw, Nipawin, Regina and Crooked Lake. Pearce said he hoped to join the organization.

Pearce was adamant that the patrol would not be a vigilante group and said he would be coordinating with SCOPA to train volunteers, along with Saskatoon police.

“We’re finding that people want an outlet to be able to help their community and they don’t know how. This is one way people can give a bit of their time,” he said.

A meeting to recruit volunteers and for more information is expected to take place at the Confederation Inn at 7 p.m. on March 18.