Sudbury letter: Citizens on Patrol not a substitute for real policing

Volunteers cannot approach or apprehend suspects, investigate crimes or replace an actual police presence Chantelle Gorham says smaller communities in Greater Sudbury need more policing. Photo by Stock / Getty Images Levack is once again under fire. Two garbage bins, including a city dumpster by our arena, were set ablaze downtown this week, yet the city and our councillor's response is to point residents toward COPS — Citizens on Patrol. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. My husband and I have a name for that program: 'Keeping you safe until dark.' Let's be realistic. COPS volunteers cannot approach or apprehend suspects, investigate crimes or replace an actual police presence. At best, they are the temporary eyes and ears of the community, and if our experience this summer is any indication, those eyes and ears may simply be told by the Greater Sudbury Police Service, 'we have no one in your area.' I won't be volunteering for these patrols, and neither, apparently, will our councillor, who did not respond when I asked whether he would participate. We don't need another responsibility handed to residents. We need resources and real solutions. Residents and business owners have already stepped up. They have purchased and funded security cameras themselves for downtown Levack because the city has repeatedly declined to make that investment, despite a history of arson. The irony is hard to miss: the city has now lost numerous garbage bins to fires, costing thousands of dollars to replace. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Would the response be the same if these incidents were happening repeatedly in downtown Sudbury? Would cameras remain unavailable? Would police patrols remain absent? Would residents be told to patrol their own streets? I doubt it. COPS may be a worthwhile community program, but volunteer patrols should never be presented as the solution to an ongoing public safety problem. All communities, including Levack, need consistent visible police presence, meaningful investigation and appropriate security measures. We don't deserve a response that shifts responsibility onto residents while avoiding the question of why basic security measures, such as cameras and their annual monitoring costs, continue to be treated as unnecessary. Residents in Levack and other outlying communities pay taxes too. We deserve the same commitment to public safety as residents anywhere else in Greater Sudbury. When the next municipal election arrives, I hope residents remember whether they were given real solutions — or simply another responsibility. Enough with the illusion of a solution. Levack needs someone to actually show up. Chantelle Gorham Levack