PROGRAMS – Nanaimo Community Policing Volunteers

Speed Watch

Speed Watch is an ICBC sponsored educational program aimed at reducing incidents of speeding. This program not only provides awareness to drivers who are speeding but it also provides valuable data to the RCMP, the City of Nanaimo and ICBC on areas where speeding is a significant problem. This program is operated by dedicated volunteers who have been trained to use radar, electronic speed boards and data collection.

If you are interested in having the Speed Watch program come to your neighbourhood, please contact the Community Policing Coordinator at: Jon.stuart@nanaimo.ca

Block Watch

Block Watch is a community driven program which brings neighbours together through increased communication between themselves and the police. Block Watches have several significant commitments: report suspicious activity to the police, create a safe community, and build communication with your neighbours. Police alone cannot solve crime in the community. They need extra eyes and ears to report suspicious activity and crime. Nanaimo has a vibrant Block Watch program strongly supported by the RCMP. For more information, click on the links below to learn more. If you have additional questions please e-mail Cst. Gary O’Brien at gary.obrien@rcmp-grc.gc.ca .

Crime Watch

Community Policing Volunteers patrol designated ‘hot spots’ or requested areas in the City of Nanaimo Community Policing Volunteer Van to provide a visual deterrence to crime as well as operating as extra ‘eyes and ears’ for the community and the RCMP. They report all suspicious, criminal and nuisance behaviour they observe. Patrol teams are trained to keep notes and maintain contact with RCMP dispatch as needed via cell phone.

In addition to the primary activity of ‘patrolling’, volunteers will also undertake prevention activities relating to the awareness and prevention of crime and community safety issues by conducting Parking Lot Audits, which focuses patrols in parking lots, and Stolen Auto Recovery, which allows volunteers access to a database where they can look up license plates to identify if suspected vehicles have been stolen.

If you would like to request a Crime Watch in your neighbourhood due to an increase in criminal activity please email the Community Policing Coordinator at: Jon.stuart@nanaimo.ca

529 Garage Bike Registrations

The City of Nanaimo and the Nanaimo RCMP hosts a local 529 Garage database which is also connected to a global platform. 529 Garage helps to prevent bike theft by registering bikes on the local database, providing shields as a deterrent and identifying stolen bikes and reuniting them with the bike’s owner. Any unclaimed bikes that are at the Nanaimo RCMP for over 90 days are donated to Bikes for Kids which is a non profit organization that refurbishes bikes and donates them to kids in the Nanaimo area. Community Policing Volunteers conduct pop up registrations at various spots in the community and the Community Policing Coordinator partners with Bike Shops to encourage the registration of every new bike sold.

Click here to register your bike: https://project529.com/garage/organizations/nanaimorcmp/landing

Harbour Watch

The purpose of the Harbour Watch Patrol program is to provide a visible presence in the Nanaimo Harbour in an effort to deter crime and to observe and report any suspicious boats or situations to the appropriate authorities.

The Nanaimo Harbour Watch Society (NHWS) is mandated to:

Provide volunteer patrols of the Nanaimo Harbour and report any suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities.
Promote security measures that will protect vessels and water front property.
Promote cooperation between water front businesses, boat owners, boating organizations and government agencies.
Attend designated events in the harbour to assist with vessel traffic.

The Nanaimo Harbour Watch Society (NHWS) is a registered and incorporated Society with the Province of British Columbia and is governed by the provisions set out in the Society Act of British Columbia. The Society has operated since March 1998 and was created to provide a visible deterrence to criminal activity in the Nanaimo Harbour. All members of the NHWS are volunteers and the executive members are responsible for administering, supervising and managing the day to day operations of the Society and the Harbour Watch Patrol program.

For more information email: bwilsn26@telus.net

Safety Education and Awareness Campaigns

The Community Policing program supports a variety of educational campaigns delivered by the City of Nanaimo, ICBC, and the RCMP by engaging the community on topics like distracted driving, seat belt awareness, impaired driving, pedestrian safety and bike safety. The program also supports other RCMP community policing units such as block watch, crime stoppers, harbour watch, etc.

For more information on current campaigns, email the Community Policing Coordinator at: Jon.stuart@nanaimo.ca

Community Development Initiatives

Depending on identified community priorities, the Community Policing Volunteer Program works in high schools by delivering sessions that engage youth on topics around safety, mental health and substance use. The program has also worked to educate seniors on current scams or developed campaigns on Elder Abuse, delivered workshops for agencies and businesses on Crime Prevention through Environmental Design, and supported neighbourhood initiatives that build positive connections and relationships through community development projects.

For information on current initiatives or community safety concerns email the Community Policing Coordinator at: Jon.stuart@nanaimo.ca

Community Events

The Community Policing Volunteers loves attending community events. By participating in fun community events it allows for the facilitation of positive relationship building. Volunteers participate in bike rodeos, VIEX, youth camps and conventions, camp days, etc.

For more information on current community events, email the Community Policing Coordinator at: Jon.stuart@nanaimo.ca

Neighbourhood Safety Audits

The Nanaimo Neighbourhood Safety Audit is a hands-on crime prevention initiative undertaken by the Nanaimo Community Policing program in collaboration with the RCMP, Neighbourhood Associations, Vancouver Island University, and many other people and organizations in Nanaimo. Safety audits are a useful tool which have been used in many cities throughout Canada and the U.S to help address safety challenges in neighbourhoods.

Safety Audits work to promote neighbourhood safety by identifying factors relating to safety and crime. Safety Audits allow neighbourhoods to work with residents, businesses, police and other agencies to find ways to reduce the opportunities for crime and incorporate relevant crime prevention programming. The findings of the Safety Audits are based on residents’ and business owner’s experiences and perceptions of crime and safety, crime statistics, social contexts of the local neighbourhood and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) assessments of problematic locations found in the neighbourhood.

Safety Audits have the potential to bring about a wide range of benefits, including:

Reduction in opportunities for neighbourhood crime by working to address criminogenic factors.
Identify a neighbourhood’s strengths and weaknesses in regards to crime and safety, and work with neighbourhoods to incorporate community safety and crime prevention tools.
Increase residents’ awareness of neighbourhood crime and crime prevention, as well as reduce levels of fear of crime through the spread of information.
Reduces isolation and creates opportunities for residents and businesses to share their experiences of crime and vulnerability.
Strengthens connection between residents as they work together to build a strong and healthy neighbourhood.
Creates a strong relationship between residents, RCMP, neighbourhood associations, blockwatches and other organizations through collaboration and communication.

The Neighbourhood Safety Audit seeks to give residents an opportunity to have their voices be heard, and prioritizes effective collaboration between neighbourhoods and other aspects of the community. The recommendations presented in this report are based on the needs of neighbourhood residents, and are intended to work towards effective, long-term interventions to address issues of safety and crime. Safety Audits are a tool that can greatly contribute to safer and healthier neighbourhoods in Nanaimo.