| Description: |
In 2011, the Châteauguay Police Service, through a partnership with the Sureté du Québec, implemented the Sécuri-Parc initiative to ensure safety in the Beauharnois-Valleyfield Regional Municipality’s municipal parks and regional network of cycling trails.
The Châteauguay Police Service, which oversees this initiative, staffs three police cadets and one liaison officer to patrol parks and city trails. The cadets also receive three days of training on topics such as the rights and duties of patrol cadets, municipal bylaws, toxic plants in parks, health and safety, and tourist information about the area. Sécuri-Parc has been promoted through outreach at youth day camps and community events.
Sécuri-Parc was supported by the seven mayors of the Beauharnois-Valleyfield Regional Municipality. The Sureté du Québec polices six of the seven municipalities in the Beauharnois-Valleyfield Regional Municipality, and the Châteauguay Police Service polices the city of Beauharnois. |
| Objective: |
This initiative has several objectives:
- ensure safety in municipal parks and on the regional network of cycling trails through continuous surveillance during the summer months;
- prevent and reduce mischief and vandalism;
- sensitize cyclists, dog walkers and the general public to the importance of following regulations and behaving appropriately in public spaces; and
- assist the public (e.g., by providing first aid or information), inform perpetrators of offences and identify situations where police officers are needed.
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| Outcomes: |
A 2012 evaluation found that this initiative had increased the feeling of security and reduced criminal and uncivil behaviours in the areas patrolled. Police intervention in crime has become quicker and more efficient in patrolled areas because the cadets are able to identify crime before the arrival of police officers. In 2011, cadets interacted or intervened with 5,900 individuals. In 2012, they interacted or intervened with 5,014 individuals. |
| Resources: |
This initiative uses four police cadets. Three work as patrol officers, and one serves as a liaison officer (75% patrol/25% communications). Excluding supervisory officers and police officers responding to calls, the cost for this initiative is $35,000 per annum. This initiative operates in the summer months only. |
| Pillars: |
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| Province: |
Quebec |
| Keywords: |
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| Record Entry Date: |
2013-08-01 |