A group of residents in Spruce Grove have organized night patrols to help police battle suspected arsonists in the area.
“We have decided until the end of summer we will do this seven days a week and then when school starts we will go to the weekends,” one of the organizers, Val Peredery, explained.
“We are the extra eyes to walk our streets and take back our community.”
The group is responding to a warning by RCMP about suspicious fires in garbage cans in Spruce Grove, one of which caused serious damage to a home in the Fieldstone neighbourhood.
“When this happens it totally puts fear in you,” Peredery said.
“I think everyone in this area is concerned. I hope that the whole city is concerned and starts to become active in their communities,” co- organizer, Lucille Stephenson, said.
“It is so important. People do go on vacation and if you know your neighbor you can watch out and see if there is anything unusual happening there because you know them and know what is unusual.”
RCMP Sgt. J’Nelle Perkins said they welcomed the support from citizens.
“The more eyes and ears you have out there and the more information the police have the more we can respond to and deal with events that happen.”
Peredery said they were looking at forming an official Citizens on Patrol group in Spruce Grove in the coming months.
“The Citizens on Patrol they will actually go on patrol and they will have contact numbers for the police that are working that night so if they see something they can contact us more directly,” Sgt. Perkins explained.
Volunteers starting patrols last weekend and walk in pairs around the Linkside and Fieldstone neighbourhoods.
With files from Amanda Anderson
