July 12 deadline to sign the Citizens on Patrol petition
Martin Shields, Conservative MP for Bow River, is sponsoring an electronic petition that calls for the Government of Canada to extend a tax credit of $3,000 to Citizens on Patrol (COP) volunteers who perform at least 200 hours of patrol services. A similar tax credit is already given to volunteer firefighters since 2011 and to search and rescue volunteers since 2014. The petition can be signed electronically until July 12, 2018, at 1:47 p.m. (EDT) on the House of Commons website.
About Citizens on Patrol
COP is a provincial program intended to help prevent crime by observing and reporting possible criminal activity. It is sponsored and administered by the Alberta Citizens on Patrol Association and their members are volunteer residents who work with the local RCMP detachment to develop a suitable patrolling program for their community.
A Citizen on Patrol is an unarmed, unpaid, volunteer who often requires the use of a personal vehicle to perform their patrol activities. They act as the eyes and ears of the RCMP and have proven to be highly-effective in reducing incidents of crime as well as increase community engagement, sense of community ownership, and the understanding of local policing within the patrolled areas.
