Citizens on Patrol has returned to the streets of Clinton.
Clinton RCMP Const. Marika Masters has revived the program, which involves volunteers patrolling the streets, watching for speeding and assisting law enforcement in keeping their community safe. Fourteen volunteers are enrolled in the program, which will focus on “speed watch” for now, she said, to avoid having two people being in one car at the same time due to COVID-19.
“I came up with the idea after receiving several complaints from the community regarding speeding through town,” she said. “I’m super excited, it’s really nice to see these people so engaged and ready to give back to their community. I think it’s going to be really positive for Clinton.”
Masters figured there was no better way to get actual numbers on how many people driving through Clinton go over the speed limit than to get concerned community members to help them compile the data for the Ministry of Transportation and the Village of Clinton. She recruited her team over the summer, just finished training them and now has them out in the community watching Highway 97 through town.
So far the response from the broader community has been great, Masters said, noting a lot of people are waving at the patrol members and they are already seeing people beginning to slow down and check their speed.
The new group falls under the 100 Mile House Citizens on Patrol. The previous Citizens on Patrol had folded a few years ago and up until this year, there hadn’t been enough interest from the community to get a new one started, Masters said. She said she’s not looking for more volunteers at this time with few duties to give them but is hopeful the community will continue to show their support and appreciation for the patrol members.
If anyone wants to know more about Citizens on Patrol or suggest places where they could set up speed watches, Masters invites them to give her a call at the Clinton detachment at 250-459-2221.
