The Canora RCMP Detachment held a town hall meeting at the Canora Activity Centre on March 21.
RCMP officers present at the meeting included Sgt. Greg Smith (Canora detachment Commander), Cpl. Dallyn Holmstrom (operations NCO (non-commissioned officer) of the Canora Detachment), Cst. Liane Lisoway (general duty investigator at the Canora detachment), S/Sgt. Kirk Badger (south district management team), Cpl. Mel Zurevinsky ("F" Division Community Policing), and Cpl. George Riffel ("F" Division Community Policing).
“F” division refers to the province of Saskatchewan.
Smith said the meeting was important to open clear lines of communication between the community and the police.
“It was an opportunity to have a frank conversation about our initiatives, priorities, and goals that we set and to discuss some of the challenges we face and areas for improvement. Rural property crime and strategies to prevent it are important topics across our country right now, and this was a great time to discuss these topics. We hoped for honest conversation and feedback, and I believe we got that at the meeting,” said Smith.
In the question-and-answer session, the topic of rural property crime came up repeatedly. The question was asked, “What is the federal statute for protecting yourself and/or your property?”
The answer from the RCMP was that the Criminal Code states that, “you are allowed to use as much force as is necessary to protect yourself, your family and your property.”
It was then pointed out that if force is used, there will likely be a criminal investigation to determine if that force was reasonable and whether charges would be laid.
The RCMP encourages people to avoid violence if at all, since “no piece of property is worth losing your life.” Instead, they encourage vigilance in recording as much information as possible on suspicious people and/or vehicles, and passing it on to the RCMP.
Other concerns discussed included dangerous driving in Canora at night and the increasing lack of respect for the law in recent years.
Smith mentioned that members of the local detachment visit Canora schools on a regular basis, and audience members asked them to continue to do so.
Other Canora RCMP department activities mentioned included: working with Canora, Preeceville and Sturgis schools on lockdown and hold/secure procedures to be prepared in case of a school incident; impaired driving education and prevention; promoting respectful workplace environments and preventing harassment in the workplace; working with the aboriginal community to promote mutual respect and co-operation; and working in education and promotion of traffic safety, among other initiatives.
Smith shared a reminder regarding a gun amnesty program coming up in April.
“People can turn unwanted firearms over to the police without fear of prosecution, provided the firearm was not used in the commission of an offence,” Smith said. “If you are in possession of a firearm and are not sure how to dispose of it, please contact your local RCMP detachment and provide information on the type of firearm and its current location. Do not bring the firearm to the detachment yourself; we will come to you and ensure safe transportation and disposition of the firearm.”
Cpl. Mel Zurevinsky spoke to the meeting regarding community policing, which includes the rapidly growing Rural Crime Watch program across the province. It’s a community driven, community led, police supported crime reduction and prevention program.
Zurevinsky said volunteers enrolled in the program observe, record and report to their local RCMP detachment any unusual or suspicious activities in their local surroundings.
He said recent advances in technology are increasing the effectiveness of the program. The Rural Crime Watch App allows members to quickly share pictures and/or information with other members and the nearest detachment. This often leads to quicker apprehension of criminals, and in many cases helps the RCMP to recognize crime trends and possibly have officers positioned in areas where there is likely to be criminal activity.
Zurevinsky said if there is enough interest expressed to the Canora RCMP detachment, he would be happy to return and give a detailed presentation on starting a Rural Crime Watch in Canora.
Later in the evening, one audience member commented on an acquaintance who had the opinion that “RCMP officers never do anything,” and she wished that person had attended the meeting. Smith quickly replied that he would be happy to talk to that person if he or she paid a visit to the Canora RCMP detachment office and familiarize him or her with RCMP activities.
Smith said the information gathered at the meeting has been forwarded to the RCMP District Management Team and detachment members.
“This is to keep everyone educated on the issues and concerns that our communities are facing, and to help us develop strategies to address them.”
