Police Week in Perth County - Project Safe Trade

(PERTH COUNTY, ON) - The Perth County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is recognizing the value of community partnerships during the annual Police Week, which runs from May 9th - 15th 2021. The theme for the campaign this year is "Working Together to Keep Our Communities Safe".

The Perth County OPP relies on community partners to assist with making safety a priority for the public in Perth County. Project Safe Trade is one of the programs that is designed to assist online buyers and sellers in having a safe place to complete their transactions.

Online classified and auction sites are often used as tools to sell stolen property to unknowing victims, and can present a safety threat. In order to increase public safety and reduce crime, the OPP has created a "community safe zone" in an effort to move online marketplace transactions away from secluded parking lots or private residences and bringing them into public places.

Becky Nauta, a member of the North Perth community, was instrumental in getting the ball rolling for a local Safe Trade Zone in North Perth, bringing the suggestion forward to the Perth County OPP, and the Municipality of North Perth Council.

The North Perth OPP Detachment and the Municipality of North Perth office, located at 330 Wallace Avenue North in Listowel, is the ideal location to implement Project Safe Trade. Two parking spots have been designated as a Safe Trade zone in the parking lot in front of the building. These spots are marked with signs, and the public is encouraged to utilize these spots to conduct online buy-and-sell exchanges.

"The Municipality of North Perth is pleased to partner with the Perth County OPP on the Project Safe Trade initiative. We're happy to provide the space in our centrally located municipal parking lot to help our residents conduct their online trade exchanges safely. We encourage residents to take advantage of this area and share the opportunity with their friends and family." - CAO Kriss Snell, Municipality of North Perth

"The Perth County OPP is proud to work together with the Municipality of North Perth, and Ms. Nauta, to bring Project Safe Trade to the community. This is an excellent example of community stakeholders working together towards implementing a safe method for residents to complete their online transactions." - A/Inspector Dave Sinko, Perth County OPP

"In keeping with the OPP's Community Mobilization and Engagement Model of Community Policing, it is great to see another Project Safe Trade program launched in the province. The OPP encourages the use of the safe zone parking spaces in an effort to deter people from completing online transactions in secluded locations. These are valuable partnerships which work towards reducing property crime offences related to online transactions, therefore enhancing public safety." - A/S/Sgt Avery Bassett, Community Safety Services, OPP GHQ.

For more information on the Project Safe Trade, see www.opp.ca/safetrade.

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Contact: Provincial Constable Jillian Johnson
Phone: (519) 291-1414 x 4069
Email: jillian.johnson@opp.ca
opp.ca
TWITTER: @OPP_WR
FACEBOOK: @OPPWest

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