Empowerment Team launches door-to-door campaign
Const. Jerrid Maze (far left) and community capacity builder Hannah Wong (far right) of the Callingwood South Neighbourhood Empowerment Team (N.E.T.) pose for a picture alongside volunteers to promote their door-to-door campaign to educate residents on calling the police. Photograph supplied.
By Pamela Di Pinto
CALLINGWOOD SOUTH – When Const. Jerrid Maze first started working for the Callingwood South Neighbourhood Empowerment Team, he hit the streets in full door-knocking action, ready to introduce himself to the community.
As he did, Maze said many residents would bring up their concerns about disorderly conduct in the area. But when asked if they had called the police with their concerns, Maze said the common response was “no”. So, he set out on another door-knocking initiative, this time not to make introductions, but to educate the community. The subject: calling the police.
“People can tell us what their issues are and we can nip them as soon as we can,” Maze said.
Maze said the police rely on call-ins from citizens to stay informed about any problems, and that without those phone calls, they have no way of knowing there’s a problem in the first place. The most common reasons Maze heard about why people don’t call the police were:
- They were unsure which phone number to use when contacting the police.
- They thought it was a waste of time to phone in their complaints.
So, Maze spent April 7 — alongside his co-worker, community capacity builder Hannah Wong, and a group of 48 volunteers made up of EPS Cadets and Centre High School students — handing out magnets and leaflets to 960 residencies in West Edmonton Village.
The house-shaped magnets had the EPS non-emergency line on one side and 911 on the other, then listed underneath when residents should use these numbers when calling the police.
Maze said he hopes these resources will help clear up any confusion on how and when people should call the police, and, above all, encourage them to do just that.
“We really want to know,” he said. “We really want people to call us because we’re all here to work and we want to work hard and we would like to partner with the people of the city so that we can do that.”
Maze said they received a positive response from their last door-knocking initiative. The group is set to hit up other neighbourhoods in Callingwood South next week.
The project runs until June 1.
If you see, hear or smell suspicious activity, contact the EPS non-emergency line at (780) 423-4567.
If you see or hear a crime happening, or you think you or others are in danger, call 911.
