Crime seems to be on the increase in Swan River and the Town alongside the Swan Valley Chamber of Commerce (SVCC) is looking to get on top of it.
Recently, the SVCC proposed to council that the Town use the $50,000 in the Crime Prevention reserve fund to purchase a security vehicle that could patrol the area. Purchasing surveillance cameras for the downtown business area was also in talks.
If approved, $40,000 of the funds will be going towards purchasing surveillance cameras and the remaining $10,000 will go towards purchasing a security vehicle, one that would be driven by volunteers of the Chamber of Commerce, Volunteers of Citizens on Patrol, and or by a hired licensed security personnel.
730CKDM reached out to Lance Jacobson, Mayor of Swan River for comment.
"I certainly think that there would be some value to the camera system and security vehicle," said Jacobson. "I believe it would provide some peace of mind for community members."
With the warmer weather that the summer brings, crime always tends to rise over the summer months and for Bill Gade, Chairperson for the Swan Valley Chamber of Commerce, says it's something that is not being taken lightly.
"We need to do something about crime here," said Gade. "We understand that Swan River isn't the only place fighting crime, so many other communities are as well. With that said, we want to be involved and our business community wants to be a part of the solution."
Gade also says he believes the RCMP is doing a great job of keeping Swan River and the surrounding area safe, but he knows the public also believes in the proposed measures.
"They're looking forward to something happening," ended Gade. "This is not about replacing the RCMP, that is not the case. This is about people feeling safer and about us providing the RCMP the information they need to help us with the crime problem."
