The City of Dauphin is launching a new campaign tonight, in an effort to cut down on crime in the city. Deputy City Manager Lisa Gaudet has been working closely with the RCMP and the City's Protective Services Committee to prepare the 9 PM Routine campaign.
There will be a post every night at 9 PM for the next 21 days on the City of Dauphin's Facebook and Instagram pages. The posts will encourage people to:
- Remove valuables from their vehicles and yards
- Lock their vehicles
- Remove keys from ATVs and farm equipment
- Lock their exterior doors
- Turn on an exterior light
- Activate their security systems.
Gaudet says the campaign is 21 days long because that's how long it takes to form a routine.
"They say it takes 21 days to create a habit, so we felt that 21 days was a good period of time for people to get into the habit of participating in this 9 PM Routine. We're hoping that the habit will extend beyond the 21 days."
The city is looking for engagement from the community, and Gaudet says they want people to comment and share the post once they've completed the suggestions.
"We are really trying to encourage as much engagement with our posts as possible, so we will be kind of keeping track of who is commenting, sharing, liking, and engaging with the posts the most, and we will have some prizes to give out at the end of the 21 days."
Gaudet says that on top of the city's posts, the RCMP will have officers patrolling and leaving reminders for people when they see something is unsecured.
"In conjunction with the social media campaign, the Dauphin RCMP will have members out patrolling the neighborhoods and leaving 9 PM Routine cards to let residents know that they were there, and if they noticed anything left unsecured."
The 9 PM Routine campaign was created in 2017 by a Sheriff's Office in Florida and has spread to police forces and municipalities across North America.