Launch the Community Security Trust to improve SIP program

The Security Infrastructure Program (SIP) is a key initiative that provides essential funds to institutions to enhance their security infrastructure. The SIP provides funding to private, and non-profit organizations at risk of hate-motivated crime to mitigate the costs of security infrastructure improvements such as alarm systems and bollards. The efficacy and importance of this program are clear: a security guard at Congregation Shaar Hashomayim in Montreal thwarted an arson attack on the synagogue thanks to the surveillance cameras partly financed by the program.

While the SIP provides essential infrastructure funding, it is only half of the solution. It is essential to empower, equip, and train community members to be aware, identify, and deter threats and to have the capacity to partner effectively with law enforcement for deterrence and information-sharing purposes.

Recommendation

Complementing the SIP with an initiative giving communities the capacity to deter threats and assume some responsibility for protection of its communal institutions and users. This program can be modelled after the Community Security Trust in the United Kingdom, which includes training for volunteers on how to provide non-armed patrols, promote situational awareness and threat prevention, and liaise with local law enforcement.