Crime Prevention

Block Watch is a free RCMP endorsed community program operated by the City of Vernon Community Safety Unit. Vernon currently has 97 active Block Watch programs.

The Community Safety Unit does implement, co-ordinate and monitor the Block Watch Program in the City of Vernon. Residents create a Crime Prevention Group and assist the Coordinator by organizing the initial boundaries of the Group and set up the Block Watch training for their Group while maintaining the Block Watch Program in their neighbourhoods.

Contact the Community Safety Coordinator - Crime Prevention for more information on how to get involved. 

Check out the new interactive map of current active block watches: City of Vernon Block Watch Map (arcgis.com)

Active Block Watches by Area

Aims and objectives

• To reduce residential crime through the active participation of a majority of community residents.
• To improve police/public relations by “working together”.
• To establish a sense of community within neighbourhoods.
• To make our communities a better place to live, work, and raise our children.

Benefits of the Block Watch Program

The active involvement and participation of citizens in a Block Watch program will:

• Increase personal safety.
• Increase crime awareness and the reporting of suspicious activities.
• Increase cohesiveness and community spirit.
• Increase the safety and protection of personal property by increasing knowledge of security measures.
• Reduce crime rates.
• Reduce fear of crime.
• Discount offered on home insurance premium through some carriers.

For more information check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

RCMP Crime Prevention Volunteers work with the City of Vernon and North Okanagan Detachment of the RCMP under the direction and supervision of the Crime Prevention Coordinator and RCMP. The involvement of volunteers is a crucial way in which the RCMP engages the community to deliver a more effective policing service.

Speed Watch
The Speed Watch Program operates in support of ICBC and their Road Safety initiative. The program is directly coordinated by the Community Safety Unit - Crime Prevention and is operated by RCMP Crime Prevention Volunteers throughout the Vernon Detachment area.

The purpose of the program is to enhance the safety of our communities. This is done by increasing the level of awareness surrounding the issues of unsafe speed and dangerous driving and reducing the incidents of speeding by reflecting drivers' speed and reinforcing the speed limit in that zone. Trained volunteers use digital speed reader boards and a radar unit and concentrate on areas where speeding is a major hazard. There will be occasions when our Speed Watch operatives work with the Vernon’s RCMP Municipal Traffic section. These two-strike operations may land you a ticket should you choose to ignore the Speed Watch operation.

Lock Out Auto Crime
The Vernon RCMP Crime Prevention Volunteers are responsible to carry out the RCMP/ICBC initiative Lock Out Auto Crime Program.

The RCMP Crime Prevention Volunteers are out visibly checking vehicles in parking lots and completing a Crime Prevention Notice identifying key areas where drivers can improve the opportunity for a crime to take place.

This program is designed to raise awareness and reduce crime through education and the patrollers' presence in large parking areas throughout the City of Vernon.

Cell Watch
Cell Watch is an educational initiative aimed at reducing distracted driving incidents in communities throughout B.C. and it is conducted in partnership with police, RCMP Crime Prevention Volunteers and ICBC’s Road Safety Department. The program is designed to remind drivers that it is illegal and dangerous to use hand-held cell phones and other portable electronic devices (PEDs) when driving. Cell Watch road-side operations are conducted by RCMP Crime Prevention Volunteers.

Marine Vessel Safety / Invasive Mussel Check:
The RCMP Marine Unit will conduct voluntary vessel safety PRE-CHECK using RCMP Crime Prevention Volunteers at Paddlewheel Park boat launch.

RCMP Crime Prevention Volunteers will assist the Marine Unit in allowing boaters to complete a Pre-Launch inspection of all the items required under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 along with its regulations governing pleasure craft.

This is strictly a voluntary check which will result in a document handed to the operator who will be able to produce this when stopped by the RCMP on the water. This is a preventative measure that not only assists the RCMP but gives the vessel operator the opportunity to correct any deficiencies prior to getting on the water.

RCMP Crime Prevention Volunteers conducting Vessel Safety checks will also be checking vessels for Guagga and Zebra invasive mussels. Vernon RCMP Crime Prevention Volunteers will work in conjunction with OASISS, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to working collaboratively to prevent, monitor and control the spread of invasive species in the Okanagan-Similkameen region. We will be using a questionnaire that follows Ministry of Environment protocols. If a boat is determined to be high risk for invasive mussels (based on the answers to those questions) or if the RCMP Volunteers were to observe anything suspect, they will call the toll free reporting line (1-877-952-7277) or have the boaters call, ideally in their presence.

This is strictly a voluntary check which will help us be proactive in keeping our lakes and waterways protected.