Merritt’s community policing office (CPO) is getting ready for the summer with upcoming programs.

Community policing co-ordinator Kelly Donaldson told the Herald the Speed Watch program has started again and will usually run once a week, if not more. At least two volunteers will monitor an area with a speed reader board and radar gun.

“If the community calls, we’ll go wherever it’s requested,” Donaldson said about Speed Watch locations.

March 15 was the first CPO Speed Watch in a school zone. Speed Watch will run until October and this year will focus on distracted drivers as well as speeders.

The CPO is also looking for more foot patrol volunteers. These volunteers walk around the community during the day watching for any suspicious activity or people in need of assistance, radioing police if need be.

“They’re eyes and ears. They’re not people that interfere with situations,” Donaldson said.

For this initiative, the CPO currently has five volunteers who do patrols twice weekly.

They also have an upcoming crime prevention blitz, which involves having about 10 volunteers canvass the downtown area. They will check vehicles and post crime prevention notices on vehicles that are at risk of being broken into. Leaving valuables in one’s car or having an unlocked car door are examples of such risks.

This year, the CPO is hoping to increase the profile of the blitz by having an event at Spirit Square, Donaldson said.

The event would include having a parked car where participants point out examples of things that could encourage criminal activity.

The crime prevention blitz is expected in May, but the exact date has yet to be determined.

403 overnight stays at shelter

Having now concluded for the winter, the extreme cold weather shelter was accessed 617 times with 403 overnight visits.

The shelter was open for 142 nights between November and March.

Donaldson said she thinks the shelter has become a widely recognized service in Merritt that the community depends on.

Shelter co-ordinator Keri Cooke has said the shelter cost about $50,000 to operate.