Yellowknife (Aug 23/06) - A new group is getting ready to join the likes of the RCMP, Municipal Enforcement Division, and Citizens on Patrol Services (COPS).

Mike Lowing is one of two people heading the Community Patrol Services (CPS), a fledgling group focused on getting intoxicated people off Yellowknife's streets.

"The majority of calls to service the RCMP deal with involve intoxicated persons," said Lowing.

The project has been in the works for two years but was held up because the group had trouble finding insurance - that is until last week.

Lowing said it can be difficult to deal with people who are drunk, but CPS training includes learning how to handle these situations.

"They're not a dangerous group to deal with," said Lowing.

"I think patience is a big thing," he said.

Volunteers will be trained to recognize how intoxicated a person is and if they need medical care, said Lowing.

The group's other founder, Lea Martin, is senior chair of the Yellowknife Wellness Coalition.

According to Martin, there is a definite need for a this service, which frees up the RCMP so they can respond to more urgent calls.

"We want to get them out of the police's system and get them into the health care system," said Martin.

She said the group would pick up intoxicated people in the group's vehicle - a donated van from the city -and take them to a variety of centres in the city like the Salvation Army or the Centre for Northern Families.

Or in the safety of a home belonging to family or friends, said Lowing.

He said the project will help an "at-risk" population.

Lowing and Martin are planning to do a trial patrol this weekend with an RCMP officer to test out its procedures.

Lowing said CPS would like to train eight to 10 people to take part in the patrols.

He said the number of patrols and when they would take place depend on the availability of the volunteers, but added key times are weekends between 8 p.m. and 12 a.m. plus Saturday afternoons.

CPS got $50,000 in funding for the project from the federal government under the National Crime Prevention Centre.

Advanced first aid and CPR training are included in the training, as well as ride-alongs with police and in-class seminars.

CPS is based on a state funded program in Anchorage, Alaska said Lowing, where the state pays and trains people to take intoxicated persons to a safe place.

Martin said eventually the RCMP and COPS would refer cases to CPS. RCMP Const. Colleen Werrell said the program will compliment what the police do everyday.

"It will free up the RCMP," she said.

Werrell said it is a great alternative to locking people up at the station. CPS is different from the COPS program because COPS do not interact with the public unless there is an emergency situation.

If interested, Martin said people should contact the RCMP.