Guelph-Eramosa is joining the Wellington County Safe Communities committee.
The organization’s leadership committee approved bringing in the newly-formed group out of Rockwood at its meeting May 15 at the Centre Wellington OPP detachment.
The effort is being spearheaded by resident Robbin Wood.
“The first thing I was concerned about is increased vandalism. We’re a growing community,” he told members of the committee.
“I had a Neighbourhood Watch concept in mind, but we decided to take on a bigger role,” Robbins said of the group that is establishing the local safe communities chapter.
The county group has been joined by safe communities and Community Oriented Policing (COPS) committees from lower tier municipalities with the exception of Erin and Centre Wellington which has no safe community committee. County safe communities coordinator Sarah Bowers-Peter is meeting with municipal groups to discuss the county organization’s role.
“The main reason was to explain about what we’re about and the benefit of belonging to (the county) safe communities,” co-chair Gary Williamson said of the meetings.
The county committee received national designation in June last year and through a series of meetings has prioritized its work around efforts to minimize self harm (suicides), on-and-off road vehicle accidents and falls.
The county organization also provides insurance for local safe community group activities and will issue tax receipts for donations of $20 or more at either the county or local level.
Williamson said the county organization can help local groups with activities they feel are essential to local safe communities efforts. But, he added, there is no direct link between the work done at the local and county levels.
