In a pair of recent good-news announcements, the number of officers in the Thompson RCMP detachment grew by four - from 38 to 42.
On April l2, the RCMP unveiled the first seven graduates of their new Aboriginal Community Constable (ACC) program - including Const. Robert Cleveland and Const. Kyle Boisvert, both of whom are from and will be based in Thompson, and Const. Ryan Linklater, who is from and will be based in Nelson House.
Graduates of the ACC program are full RCMP officers - armed, uniformed, and at the rank of special constable. Their focus is less on-the-street policing, and more acting as liaison officers, interacting with community partners to build positive relationships and promote active crime reduction strategies - but when required, they are also able to provide other RCMP officers with tactical, enforcement, and investigational support.
"When this opportunity came, I thought 'why not go for it?', so I gave up my position with the BRHA and jumped on board," said Cleveland, who had been working as a social worker in the Burntwood Regional Health Authority's acquired brain injury unit, and had previously been a youth outreach worker with Macdonald Youth Services. "My first shift was April 15, and so far, so good. I've been learning new things every day."
Both Cleveland and Boisvert - who were whittled down from an initial pool of 170 applicants from across Canada - were notified about the program by Sgt. Rob Lockhart, a former member of the Thompson detachment who is now working for the RCMP out of Winnipeg.
"I'm doing the same field training as someone coming out of Depot from another community to Thompson," said Boisvert. "It's interesting, you see a lot of things you don't know about if you're not a police officer. You're more wary, even if you're just out driving, looking at other vehicles."
The pair are currently undergoing full training, just as any other new officer would, but by October, they'll be moving into their specialized roles, working with other community groups on crime prevention measures.
"They'll be fully entrenched in policing with the operations of the detachment for their field-coaching program for six months," explained Insp. Ken Poulsen, head of the Thompson RCMP detachment. "After that, they will be moving towards engaging the community in active crime prevention and reduction strategies. They're going to be working strictly with our stakeholders, looking at areas where we can enhance community crime prevention and looking at areas where we can reduce crime from."
One of the benefits of the program, Cleveland said, is that while most RCMP officers are first assigned to a community that is not their home, the aboriginal special constable program was developed so that its graduates could immediately return home and start working with organizations and people they already know. "We already know so many people here, and it makes life a lot easier," said Cleveland.
It makes life easier for future recruits, too. "New members come in here and they don't know anything about Thompson," said Boisvert. "We'll show them who they can talk to, and help them get used to the community."
"Among other qualities, these cadets will bring to our organization linguistic, cultural and community skills and knowledge that go beyond those taught at Depot," said RCMP Commissioner William Elliott. "Aboriginal communities identified a need for an alternate service delivery and we believe that the ACC pilot program will help answer that need."
Meanwhile, on April 11, in a preview of the budget tabled the next day, the provincial government announced the hiring of 66 new police officers provincewide, including two in Thompson.
"Manitobans deserve to feel safe in their communities and in their neighbourhoods," said Premier Greg Selinger. "This investment in policing provides communities with more resources to ensure those who commit crimes are brought to justice. More police on the streets will deter criminals and protect Manitoba families."
"We're very pleased with the announcement," said Mayor Tim Johnston. "We have been pushing for some time for additional police resources here in Thompson. It's a good announcement for Thompson, and I look forward to working with the RCMP to see those boots on the street."
The City of Thompson had previously offered to pay the cost of one RCMP officer if the province would pay for a second, but Johnston said it was his understanding that the province was providing the funding for both new officers. In addition to the 42 officers assigned to Thompson under the Municipal Policing Services Agreement, the Thompson detachment hosts seven members for policing rural areas.
Insp. Ken Poulsen said that the RCMP had yet to determine what specific duties would be given to the two new officers, but that it would be in line with the priorities of both the RCMP and the city's public safety committee.
"Since my arrival in Thompson, I've always been fully aware that the mayor and council have been lobbying the province for added police funding," said Poulsen. "I'm very happy to have heard the announcement and to see these additional resources coming to Thompson."
The provincial Progressive Conservatives, meanwhile, took issue with the province's announcement of the 66 new officers - the bulk going to either the Winnipeg Police Service or provincial RCMP - calling it "a panicked pre-election attempt to play catch-up on crime."
"Given the rise in violent crime under the NDP, we clearly need more police," said PC justice critic Kelvin Goertzen. "But the federal government provided this money three years ago. The bottom line is these officers should have been in our community fighting crime long before today. It has taken three years and the arrival of an election year for the NDP to finally act. Delays like this have helped to make Manitoba a violent crime capital of Canada."
Goertzen said that in 2008, the federal government provided the province with $14.4 million in funding for 30 police officers, and that funding sat dormant until last week's announcement.
