DEH GAH GOT'IE KOE/FORT PROVIDENCE
Fort Providence residents are looking at more ways to curb crime after a rash of break and enters last month.

There were 10 break and enters in Fort Providence from Nov. 1 to Dec. 7, said RCMP Const. Elenore Sturko.

Four of them took place at local businesses while an additional six took place at residences, she said.

There were 95 calls for service in Fort Providence in November, 14 of which were assault complaints, Sturko added.

Chief Joachim Bonnetrouge said the band has been discussing ways to decrease crime in the community, especially when it comes to youth.

He said the key is to develop programming within Fort Providence.

"I guess the band's preference is we do not send those youth or young adults, we do not send them away," he said. "They belong to us and we're going to make every effort to work with them."

Focusing on prevention rather than blame is also important, Bonnetrouge added.

"Instead of targeting them as being bad or criminals, instead of putting them down, we need to recognize what's been happening is a cry for help from the youth of this community," he said. "We've got to approach it that way."

The band is now considering applying for funding for on-the-land programming that would bring the community's youth into the bush to cut firewood for local elders, Bonnetrouge said.

"We hope to have at least probably three small camps and they would probably be doing some firewood, maybe supply firewood for the elders this winter for a start," he said.

If the program is successful, it could expand to allow the youth to sell firewood in Fort Providence and in other communities.

"There is always a market for firewood in other communities," Bonnetrouge said.

The program could also include local counsellors that would work with the youth while they're out on the land.

Bonnetrouge said bringing youth out of town is vital.

"I think the elders have been saying that. Whatever challenges you come up against, most of the answers would lie out on the land and with Mother Nature," he said. "Mother Nature does the healing."

The goal is to implement the program by January.

Citizens on Patrol group formed

In the meantime, members of the community's recently-founded Citizens on Patrol group plan to help the RCMP keep an eye out for potential crime, according to the organization's founder Linda Croft.

The group held a public meeting on Nov. 9 to provide information and to gauge public interest, Croft said.

Susan Christie, the community's senior administrative officer, Mayor Tina Gargan, Bonnetrouge, members of the Fort Providence RCMP detachment and a representative from Crime Stoppers in Yellowknife attended the meeting alongside members of the public.

Croft said the group will act as the "eyes and ears" of the RCMP, patrolling the community seven  nights a week and making note of suspicious activity.

"We're not police so we won't be attempting to make any arrests, we won't even have any interaction," she said. "If we see something happening, we automatically - if it's something that warrants immediate attention by the police - then we'd notify them and if not, we'd make notes."

Note taking is intended to provide RCMP with information that could link potential suspects to criminal activity, Croft said.

"We'll take notes of who we saw and what times we saw them, should there have been an incident that the police follow up later, we might have the information that they're missing to connect a certain individual or individuals to that crime," she explained.

Citizens on Patrol would also check on local businesses and buildings at night to ensure doors are locked.

So far, about 15 people have submitted their applications to join the group, Croft said.

However, only four of those included the identification required to complete a criminal record check. Croft said she's been making phone calls reminding applicants they must also include proper identification to complete the check.

"I've got about 15 applications but they didn't drop ID off with it," she said. "I've been making calls and slowly getting in touch with those people to come back to complete their application, basically by giving me the identification to get the police screening."

A criminal record check also requires applicants to provide fingerprints at the RCMP station. The screening is intended to ensure no one with an outstanding warrant or a history of violence or sexual crime is a member of the Citizens on Patrol, Croft said.

She hopes the group will serve as a conduit between residents and the RCMP, Croft said.

"I feel, and I said this at the public meeting, because, of course, the blame automatically at first went to the RCMP and I made it clear that we weren't laying blame, that this is what this program is supposed to do, it's supposed to bring the citizens and the RCMP closer together so we can better understand each others' needs and goals," she said.

Sturko said RCMP members agree.

"We really do appreciate people joining things like the Citizens on Patrol," she said. "We encourage people to contact the RCMP. It's their community. We're there to serve them in Fort Providence. Working together, getting tips, getting those eyes on the street is an important part of working in any community."

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