Estevan Police Service is the first municipal police agency to join the Saskatchewan Crime Watch Advisory Network.

Like RCMP detachment commanders, Estevan police supervisors will be able to send text messages, emails or phone calls to residents with information about criminal activity in their area. Residents can then contact police with tips related to the advisory.

"We just feel its gonna be very beneficial, as municipal police service, to be able to send those messages out to the community in a timely fashion so anything from a robbery that just occurred, where we have a vehicle description or a description of the individuals involved, we will be able to send that out immediately." Said Police Chief Paul Ladouceur.

The Government of Saskatchewan is providing approximately $50,000 for the RCMP to operate the Saskatchewan Crime Watch Advisory Network.

"This is timely information, it's consensual only upon the person signing up to receive those notifications and they can receive those through a text, email or the app. There are some huge advantages there so that the end-user is in total control of how much information they receive and what areas they want to receive it from."

“We feel it is advantageous for citizens to join the Crime Watch Advisory Network,” Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig said.  “By working together collaboratively we can ensure that crime is reduced, and our local citizenry will benefit.  We would like to thank the province for allowing us to be part of this Crime Watch Advisory Network,”

“If we, as a police service, want the public to assist in solving and preventing crime, then we must empower them with the information to do so.  I highly encourage people to sign up and be part of the solution to reducing crime and keeping our communities safe.”

The crime watch network was initially launched in March by RCMP detachments in southern Saskatchewan and expanded to RCMP detachments province-wide in April.

Visit www.saskcrimewatch.ca to sign up for the Saskatchewan Crime Watch Advisory Network.