“It was really okay”, said Assiniboia Mayor Bob Himbeault. “The meeting was very casual, and most people I spoke with afterwards felt it was quite good. It was, however, very difficult to hear in that room, so they (the RCMP) should either have used a PA system or - for the benefit of those who were hard of hearing - repeated the questions that were being asked by the audience”. Mayor Himbeault was speaking during a recent interview, and giving his personal opinion and assessment of the open forum meeting held by the RCMP on Tuesday, April 10 in Assiniboia.
The meeting promptly began at 7 PM in the conference room of the Canalta Hotel with 65 local and area residents in attendance. Constables Caro Giroux, Mark Dijkstra, and Kevin Tuffs, presided over the ‘town-hall’ style meeting and proceeded to answer audience questions. According to Police Sgt. Donald Duplissea, commander of the Assiniboia detachment of the RCMP, the purpose of the meeting was to allow local and area residents an opportunity to meet and greet members of the local detachment and ask questions they wished to have answered about policing and police ‘priorities’ in the area. “It’s very important to get feedback from members of the community if we are going to do our job effectively and efficiently. We need to know where the community would have us focus our attention and efforts in order to do the best job possible”. Judging from the response and exceptional turnout - which was ‘standing room only’ - the meeting was a veritable success.
Leonard Johnson, Congress area farmer, was pleased with the meeting, giving it a ‘thumbs-up’. “I thought the meeting was very good”, said Johnson. “Folks who attended weren’t getting angry or upset. There was a good atmosphere, and a good overall feeling that prevailed. The meeting was very informative, providing worthwhile and important information”. He concluded: “I couldn’t find anything wrong with the meeting, so I’d have to give it a 10 out of 10!”
Ross Pomerenke, another local area farmer, rated the meeting very highly as well. “I went expecting that the meeting would perhaps rank a 5 or 6 out of 10, but the information that was presented was actually quite good. The meeting was an education for both the RCMP and the general public”. He also confessed he had hoped for more specific recommendations and concrete information to be neatly packaged and presented concerning farm safety and security. But in the end, he concluded, “At least the RCMP is out there and willing to communicate with the public. That’s a really good start. Establishing communication is never a waste of time, and having some form of communication is obviously far better than none at all. Getting out there and actually doing something is (infinitely) better than doing nothing at all. I give them (the RCMP) high marks for that!”
Some of the main concerns and questions from area residents had to do with rural crime, drug abuse, farm safety and security, cell phone use and abuse, distracted driving, and the severe personnel ‘shortage’ in the Assiniboia detachment. It was noted that Assiniboia RCMP patrols an extremely large and difficult area: north to the Mitchellton grid, east to the junction of Highways 13 and 36, south to the US border, and west to the halfway mark between Limerick and Lafleche. The detachment is presently short two members, creating a huge burden and hardship on its existing members.
Police Constables present at the meeting, however, believe that rural crime is generally down in this area. When asked if there was still a serious drug problem in Assiniboia, Constable Giroux quickly affirmed - much to the delight of the audience: “Not anymore. Those individuals have been banned from the community.” Regarding farm safety and security, RCMP highly recommended the judicious use of security cameras strategically placed for maximum coverage and effective monitoring. They also recommend security cameras for local business establishments as well, citing a couple of recent ‘break-ins’ around town. Concerning personal safety and that of one’s family, both on the farm and in town, it was emphasized that one may use only what is deemed to be rational and reasonable force in any defense against intruders. The RCMP recognize that this is somewhat of a ‘grey’ area and may often be a difficult and tough decision in determining a proper course of action to follow. This being said, Constable Dijkstra stated that police are taught the use of a gun when defending against someone wielding a knife, which is a lethal weapon.
Constable Mark Dijkstra also presented the idea of a ‘Citizens-On-Patrol’ organization (COP) as a possible and useful tool to help deter crime in this area. He reported good success in other jurisdictions where this proactive program is currently being used. A serious dissertation on the proper use of ‘911’ calls was also given at the information meeting, with a strong reprimand to those who use it for trivial and insignificant matters – only use ‘911’ in case of an emergency. Whenever a ‘911’ call is made, RCMP must respond to that call by visiting the home from which the call was made and filing a report. If the call is not an emergency, the RCMP visitation is a total “... misappropriation of time, personnel, and money”, stated Constable Dijkstra. “If you don’t wish to have the RCMP in your home, don’t make the call!”
Throughout the course of the evening, interesting anecdotes, and pertinent police stories were freely and casually shared to the enlightenment and delight of those in attendance. In between questions and answers, audience members responded with stories and anecdotes of their own. Young farmer and area resident Clint (Clinton) Engstrom summed up the meeting best when he said: “I think the meeting was good. It was well done. I suspect the meeting was difficult for the RCMP, given its subject matter and their present (short) staff situation. Anytime we can have communication with our local RCMP officers, it’s a good thing. I think more meetings like this would be welcome in our community.”
It goes without saying, that this two hour ‘open’ meeting produced many, many questions, and as many answers – in fact, too many to reproduce here in this limited space and time. For those who wish more information, a complete 90 minute unedited audio copy of the ‘Town-Hall’ meeting, click here: https://soundcloud.com/user-313925425/rcmp-town-hall-meeting
