(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)

ENDERBY - In the last few weeks, Lori Heins has noticed a sharp uptick in people reporting stolen property on an Enderby Facebook page. Yesterday she took these concerns into her city's council meeting in the hopes of sparking a conversation about crime in her community.

Heins spoke at the Enderby city council meeting yesterday, Dec. 3, to talk about theft and stolen property. She was accompanied by several members of the community. She asked questions for her group and received answers from councillors and RCMP representatives.

"I think the meeting went really well," she said. "People took the time to listen. People were heard."

Heins, who lives just outside Enderby, is the administrator for the Facebook group "If it happens in Enderby, it stays in Enderby." Residents of the small town post stories, comments, and concerns in the group. Over the last month, Heins noticed a sharp rise in people posting about stolen property in the group.

"[Theft] seems to be prevalent in people's lives," she said.

Community members asked Heins to represent them and their concerns at the council meeting last night. She raised questions about the police presence in Enderby and how the community can best coordinate with peace officers to ensure safety for the area.

"The community needs to learn the police aren't against them," Heins said. "It's not us against them. We're working together."

Mayor Greg McCune thinks it was an excellent forum for people to learn more about police in their community. He highlighted the need for people in small towns like Enderby to look out for each other. He noted how police can't form a picture of crime in the area if people don't report incidents.

"Call it in," he said, and Heins agreed saying reports give police data.

McCune also highlighted Citizens on Patrol, a group of volunteers that provides an additional set of eyes and ears on criminal behaviour in Enderby. McCune noted how the group is currently short on volunteers.

"I think we drummed up some volunteers [at the meeting]," McCune said.

Heins plans to join Citizens on Patrol in the new year. She thinks the meeting provided the right platform to raise these issues.

"It was the perfect first step," she said.

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