Friends of Crime Prevention – Why Join?

Posted on: January 29th, 2014 by Smart on Crime

Who knew I’d be joining the Friends of Crime Prevention in my retirement years? Well, it has to be destiny, no one could have told me this would be in my plans, but what a blessing.

Let me back it up a bit for you, to Nov. 3, 2011 when my son Daniel, then 28, went missing. Once we learned where his vehicle was found (Temagami backcountry, Red Squirrel Road), we at least know where he potentially was and that there was no evidence of foul play or crime. But, the need to file a local missing persons report and then have another police force take over the search (OPP, Temiskaming), we were confronted with a lot of new learning about police procedures and, most importantly, about the gap in support services for families with missing loved ones, particularly when there is no evidence of crime.

Daniel is still missing today.

Fast forward to December 2013 when I joined Friends of Crime Prevention. In an effort to find meaning in the uncertainty of my son missing for over 2 years, I reached out to agencies in our community to try and get a network started to help support families like mine. Having known Christine Sadeler at the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council when I worked at the Region of Waterloo and knew about their close workings with the community, I reached out to her to share my need. I wanted to spread the message about missing persons so we could create a network that would to help raise awareness and fill a gap I see in our community.

I attended the Friends of Crime Prevention event on January. 9, 2014 and was pleased with the number of representatives from the community, as board members, professionals and friends. This reinforced that my decision to become a Friend of Crime Prevention was indeed a good one. Not only was it informative, but it gave me a much better sense of the diversity of the group and the many facets of crime prevention from a community perspective. A bonus was getting a tour of the new WRPS North Division Station, where the meeting was held.

My hope is that not only do I have the opportunity to become part of a group with many facets of crime prevention as their objective, but also to get others engaged in making it a better place for those who may be impacted by a missing loved one. I thank Friends of Crime Prevention for giving our community this opportunity to participate and play as active a role as we can give.

In an effort to do my part as a Friend of Crime Prevention and raising awareness about what it’s like for families with missing loved ones, I want to point you toward a very timely media series in the Waterloo Region Record. Anyone who feels they can help play a role in providing support services for the families with missing loved ones, please contact me, Maureen Trask.

Media Series: MISSING in Waterloo Region

In collaboration with Waterloo Regional Police Service and the Waterloo Region Record, families with missing loved ones are currently sharing their stories, challenges and issues. Greg Mercer is the reporter writing this series and is supported by Richard Dorling from WRPS who is working with the missing cases and the families concerned. We are very grateful for their amazing support and assistance.

Check the Saturday paper or online for ‘MISSING’ articles, giving a better awareness and understanding of what it’s like for families with a missing loved one.

Initial Article: November 9, 2013: Families of missing live in limbo
Week 1: January 18, 2014: Families of missing push for change, missing Clifford Scruton