Keeping our communities safe

When you were a child, your mother probably told you not to meddle in other people's affairs on a regular basis.

In addition to reminding you to wear clean underwear - in case you were in a car accident - and the frequent warnings to wash your hands before you ate, she probably told you to "mind your own business."

We tell our own children to do the same thing, since to have them chatting about the personal matters of others is not something we want to encourage.

In an age where entire television networks and publishing houses cite their reason for being as raking up gossip on celebrities, it is hard for us to draw the line where a person's right to privacy begins.

Perhaps because we were taught to mind our own business, people are often hesitant to provide police with information that might help their investigations.

Talk to any police officer and they will tell you that tips from members of the community are invaluable to solving crime and keeping our towns safe.

Last month, a Nova Scotia man was arrested after he left Port aux Basques, allegedly en route to Corner Brook to cause injury to members of the RCMP.

Reportedly, the man had in his possession a high-powered rifle, a cross bow, a bow and a machete, as well as ammunition and arrows.

It is not known yet why the man allegedly was planning a visit to the Mounties on the west coast of the province, or even what he planned to do when he arrived there. The caller who tipped off the RCMP more than likely saved someone from injury or death.

Police in Newfoundland are always appreciative when members of the general public call them with information, no matter how innocuous and unimportant it may seem to be.

Seeing a person in your neighbour's back yard at 3 a.m. might be nothing. Maybe the fellow was taking a shortcut home from a party or took a wrong turn on his way to grab a late-night snack. If that is the case, then he has nothing to hide.

But maybe he just broke into a shed down the road or was planning on stripping you of the tools stored in your garage you have worked hard to collect.

Not that we should all forget mother's advice and start peering out our windows in order to call the cops as soon as we see a shady-looking character strolling down the street. Most people have a fairly fine-tuned sense of when something doesn't appear to be positive.

It is that sense that we should use when making the call.

That's not to say that we should forsake the privacy of those around us in order to spy on them, but it is up to us as citizens of the community to do our part to keep it safe.

Take that car you see driving down the street at breakneck speeds or weaving in and out of traffic.

Would you rather pick up your phone and suggest that the police look into it or say nothing and have them knock down a child? What if that child was yours?

You might think that calling the police or Crimestoppers makes you a Nosey Parker, but it doesn't.

Helping police simply makes you a good citizen.

- David Newell

Reprinted from The Advertiser, Grand Falls-Windsor