Board of Police Commissions & MJ Police Service host public forum to hear community concerns
The community got an opportunity to express concerns and ask questions at an open-house information forum held at the Moos Jaw Public Library on Tuesday, March 13, hosted by the Board of Police Commissioners.
At the session, the Moose Jaw Police Service made presentations and updated the community on what is happening around the city with various statistics on different incidents common to Moose Jaw. In addition, different units at the Police Service provided information on their work in the community and emphasized the great relationship they want to continue to build with residents and different groups. Among the presentations, Chief Rick Bourassa gave a presentation on Crime Trends, the Policing Environment and Police Responses, as well as providing an update on the legalization of cannabis. Other Police Service members made presentations on the Canine Unit, Serious Crime and Drugs, School Resource Program, Community Police Academy, Positive Ticketing Program, Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan, Victim Services Unit and Intervention Canine Program. Following the presentations, members of the community were able to share some of their concerns/ comments and ask questions. Among some of the concerns were traffic safety, safety in school zones and other issues. Doug Blanc, a Moose Jaw resident said he feels confident that the concerns were heard and hopes they will be addressed. “The meeting was good. We got some information and statistics that I wasn’t aware of and I think this is good for them to hear some feedback from the community and how we think the police should be governing things like traffic bylaws in this city. I hope that some of these comments that the community made will be addressed.”
Another resident, Wade Keeler, shared similar sentiments. “Any kind of awareness or more information is always better for the community because it keeps you in touch with what is going on and what’s to come down the road. I am very interested in preventing incidents rather than having to deal with things when they’ve already caused much damage, so this session was important for the community. There was really valuable information from the various units at the Police Service and I’ve taken notes on some of them because I think this is very good information for the public.”
Mayor Fraser Tolmie who sits on the Board of Police Commissioners said he was impressed with the turnout at the early morning meeting. He said many of the concerns raised by the community will be addressed. “I am happy with the turnout; it is great because we do want more community input and we found that not many people were showing up at the Police Commission’s meetings which are open to the public. A suggestion was brought forward to go to the community instead, in order to make a presence. We also wanted people to understand that this Commission serves the community,” Tolmie said. “There has been a lot of comments brought forward and they were very good. This gives us a different perspective and helps us to hear what the community has to say. Some of these suggestions can actually be acted upon.”
Tolmie stated that the Board wants to move forward in continuing to garner feedback from the community. “It is important to keep hearing feedback because our community is changing. We must think about the newcomers that are coming into this country and the challenges that they face with the perception of the police forces in war-torn countries. We have a police force here that is ready to protect and serve our community and we want to be able to change that mindset. Therefore, we want to be able to continue to actively engage with different groups like the Multicultural Service to get the community more acquainted with our police force.”
Meanwhile, Police Chief, Rick Bourassa reiterated the importance of the Moose Jaw Police Service and its relationship with the community. He reassured residents that the Police Service is here to serve and has the community’s best interest in mind. “We are building our relationship with the community because we are the community.” He also outlined the Police Service’s 2018 initiatives. These initiatives include: Combined Traffic Safety Services/Protection and Response Team; Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy; Cannabis Decriminalization and Regulation; Enhanced Responses in cases such as child abuse, mental health and serious crimes; Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry; Community Building, as well as Trauma Informed Investigations.