Street cop to crack down on crime

BY NADINE ARMSTRONG

The Hants Journal

NovaNewsNow.com

There’s a new cop on the beat in Windsor, but it’s not likely residents will be able to identify this particular member.

As part of a provincial initiative to crack down on crime, Windsor District RCMP now has an official plainclothes ‘Street Crime’ Officer.

Community Liaison Officer Cst. George Cameron said the new position will make investigating crime on the streets a whole lot easier. Although not considered ‘undercover’, the officer will patrol communities throughout West Hants in the guise of an everyday citizen, making it easier to blend in and ferret out the bad guys.

There are already a two-member plainclothes unit in Windsor that assists in ongoing investigations and works with uniformed officers if there’s a rash of crime or with major drug operations and surveillance requests, Cameron said. But the street crime officer will investigate only a specific set of offenses.

The new member will target smaller more frequent criminal activities that involve drugs, property offenses such as break and enters or vandalism and impaired driving. “There's a variety of activities this member will focus on. It will just depend on what’s happening where,” he said.

The officer will travel from Hantsport to Mt. Uniacke or Kennetcook and all points in between. “If we see there's a problem in one area, they'll concentrate their efforts there.”

Cameron said the department is more than pleased to have the individual on board, partly because it’s provincially funded and not coming out of the local government’s pocket and also because it’ll free up uniformed members and allow them to get on with their own set of priorities.

Aggressive move

West Hants Municipal Councillor Rick Gaudet chairs the Police Advisory Board and says this RCMP pilot project is a great intiative. “It's an aggressive move. Our RCMP do a fantastic job, but we can never do too much.”

He said that adding an 'undercover' cop to the mix will give RCMP the upper hand. “This is going to put criminals on the alert, but they still won't know what’s going on because the officer will be just another face in the crowd.”

Although crime rates appear to be low, Gaudet says there are still cases that need to be solved, including those types of offenses the street crime officer will investigate. “The crime right now in West Hants is made up of a lot of little things, but we don't like those little things, either.”

He hopes this project will encourage residents to speak up and report more crime in their communities.

Linked to Major Crime Unit

Reporting to the local RCMP Operational Sergeant, the 'street crime' officer will also be linked with the Major Crime Unit based in New Minas.

Cameron said this doesn't mean RCMP have pinpointed any particular crime concerns in Hants. Rather, the RCMP anticipate that the knowledge an 'undercover' officer is on the case will deter potential criminals and give residents an added sense of security.

“It’s also about awareness,” Cameron said. “Sometimes just knowing there’s someone out there watching is enough.”

RCMP plan to keep 'street crime' officers identities hidden even by those who find themselves under arrest. Cameron said RCMP aren’t worried about blowing his or her cover. “The people arrested won't know who the officer is and we have a system in place to deal with that eventuality.”

As with any RCMP positions, there will be regular reviews to keep things on track. “We're just getting our feet wet and figuring out best practices,” Cameron said.