MOOSE JAW — The Moose Jaw Police Service’s anti-trespassing initiative has been active for a month, and so far, the organization has not told anyone to leave the premises of a participating business.
Sgt. Ryan Lawrence gave an update during the June 7 Board of Police Commissioners’ meeting about the
The pilot project is scheduled to run for roughly three months, with the police service to re-evaluate it afterward and potentially increase the program coverage area beyond the downtown.
Forty businesses in the downtown have signed up to participate in the anti-trespassing initiative, while there are 10 others outside the pilot project boundaries waiting for the program to expand so they can join, said Lawrence.
Furthermore, the police are providing crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) training to one business, he continued. Also, officers have so far not told anyone to leave a business whom they consider to be trespassing on the property.
CPTED is a philosophy that says proper design and effective use of built areas can reduce crime and improve quality of life.
“What we’re finding is with the 40, it’s kept us quite busy. When we’re actually doing site visits and meeting the business owner, that’s opening up some good discussion about what’s been going on,” said Lawrence.
“So, we’ve learned a lot … just from people who aren’t phoning us, (and) since we’re going out to meet them, we’ve had some good engagement there.”
While it takes time to meet with every business owner, it’s a long-term benefit for the police service to meet those people while installing the program stickers, he added.
Meanwhile, the police service has been monitoring chatter on social media and is discovering that some residents wonder why the police aren’t providing this anti-trespassing program for private residences, Lawrence said.
The sergeant thought the police service had made it clear to the public that this was a business-focused program, but since there is still confusion, the organization will engage in an online education campaign to inform homeowners about their rights.
That communications campaign will launch soon.
The next police board meeting is in July.
