Challenges of volunteer recruitment and plans for 2024 mark notes of interest from Crimestoppers presentation to Council

Loni Wishart, Dave Cook and John Patterson were all at City Council on Monday
to share notes on the local Crimestoppers program.

Prince Rupert City Council members received an update on the Prince Rupert Crimestoppers program on Monday evening,  a ten minute look at how the small group of volunteers in the city keep the program active was the main focus for the ten minute presentation along with a call for residents of the area to give them a look towards volunteering.

Among the themes shared by Loni Wishart and Dave Cook were to make note of Crimestoppers month across Canada through January, as well as to explain that the Prince Rupert group is the last one in operation between the coast and Prince George, with many offices closing during COVID.

"Prince Rupert Crimestoppers is actually the last branch of Crimestoppers between here and Prince George now, all other branches closed during COVID a lack of volunteers, an ongoing theme I think with all non-profits now is a a lack of volunteers.

So, we're just trying to draw awareness that we're still here and  we're still working to try to keep the community safe"

Image from Prince Rupert Crimestoppers FB

Expanding on the challenges that many organizations face in attracting help made for some of the overview, the local group observing how they are currently looking for volunteers, with Mr. Cook outlining some of the events and activities that they have participated with the RCMP, noting of how they have been quite supportive of their work.

"For somebody who has had a working life and is maybe retired and looking for something to do, Crimestoppers is a really great experience. And if you want respect you will get respect as a member of Crimestoppers: -- Crime Stopper rep Dave Cook

Ms. Wisahrt outlined how its not a time consuming activity for members, and how they have received good feedback from their past works in Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii.

Councillor Nick Adey picked up on the challenges of volunteer recruitment and then asked for how they view how Crimestoppers is of service to community.

"I just want to say, I appreciate the work that you do, the existence of the organization and as you say with COVID and what have you,  its kind of organizations continue despite the odds sometimes and we hear from many organizations that getting volunteers  is a real challenge now.

So, I guess what I'm interested in, I mean I have may own perception of  what Crimestoppers is and why it matters.  But I'm interested in how you might express in what way is the Community better off with Crimestoppers and with a healthy volunteer force compared to if it didn't have that'

Ms. Wishart  shared  observations  on how the program offers a way to make the community safer, with the anonymous aspect of reporting concerns a valuable part of their community footprint.

She also noted that Crimestoppers is looking for Prince Rupert to expand from its current level of seven volunteers, as well as the plans to expand their work across the Northwest and for that they will need more community involvement.

"We are a port, at the end of the day we are a port, we do have crime. 

And it's a safe way for people to report it, especially since we're all kind of tight knit and we're small.

But, we're actually with Prince Rupert Crimestoppers we're looking at probably changing the name.

Because they're looking at us like a pilot and they're talking about trying to get us all of Northern BC basically from here to Prince George.

So we're looking to get more volunteers and we're trying to get other community volunteers too so maybe Terrace, maybe Kitimat, maybe some on Haida Gwaii"    -- Crime Stopper Rep Loni Wishart

Image from Prince Rupert Crimestoppers FB

Among one of their current activities is their work on restoring an old 1948 Police car, a project that they have been engaged with for a few years now.

To find out more about the program in Prince Rupert follow their social media stream.

The full presentation can be reviewed from the City's Video Archive starting at the 30 minute mark.

More notes on the Monday Council session can be reviewed here.

The work of Emergency Responders and how Crimestoppers sometimes is key to those efforts can be explored further from our Emergency Responders archive.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.