It appears some residents in Ritchot are choosing not to report crimes because of their lack of faith in the police service.

Mayor Chris Ewen and the rest of council met with St. Pierre RCMP earlier this month. Ewen says he has heard stories from within Ritchot where a crime will take place, but will not be reported because that individual doesn't trust that police will do anything about it.

"It's disturbing because the RCMP are there for a service to protect us and to make us feel comfortable and safe in our municipality," notes Ewen.

During their meeting, Ewen also noted that residents are noticing a lack of police presence in their communities. The response from St. Pierre RCMP is that they had a staffing shortage earlier this year. But with the detachment starting to fill again, members are able to drive through more communities again.

Ewen says they will meet with RCMP in the new year to see if criminal activity drops in the municipality.

Meanwhile, Ewen credits Marianne Curtis for forming a Citizens On Patrol Program in the municipality earlier this year. He notes it started in the Ile des Chenes area and is expanding. Ewen says it is still a fairly small group and too early to tell what sort of difference is being felt.

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