Volunteers with the Comox Valley RCMP detachment's Victim Services department section use cocooning to help local residents.
Cocooning is used to disseminate and gather information in an area where perhaps there has been an increased number of people victimized by crime, explains Const. Nicole Hall, the community policing/media liaison with the Comox Valley RCMP.
An increase in vandalism, theft from automobiles or break and enters are examples of crimes where cocooning may be considered a useful crime reduction tool.
The Comox Valley RCMP's crime analyst provides a map that identifies the area which has been affected. A team of two to four volunteers, wearing Victim's Services identification, distribute information on Crime Prevention tips, along with a letter from the detachment's officer in charge, Insp. Tom Gray.
This may not be hand delivered to every home in a neighborhood, says Hall. It is hoped that people will spread the word amongst the neighborhood. This also lends itself to creating a sense of community.
"As our volunteers distribute information, they are gathering it as well," Hall says. This face-to-face contact is sometimes what people need to feel comfortable coming forward and speaking of their
concerns or suspicious activity that they would have otherwise not reported.
"Our volunteers have received wonderful support in the community and report a feeling of satisfaction knowing that they are playing an important role in our community's crime reduction."
— Comox Valley RCMP