Hoping to open up dialogue with the community it serves, the Sidney North Saanich RCMP is putting out a call for participants in consultative committees.
Corporal Erin Fraser says Police-Community Consultative Committees (PCCCs) will help facilitate two-way communication between police and local residents.
“Right now, there’s no real capacity for two-way communication with the public,” she said. “This is being done in other places but here, there’s nothing of the sort in place at the moment.”
In general, Fraser said the only time the police talk with the community is when something bad happens. A committee, she explained, will seek out current concerns and work on plans of action.
Members of the committee (or more than one, if there’s enough interest) will come from all walks of life. Fraser said they hope to bring in business owners, students, seniors, First Nations, municipal and regional leaders, clergy, emergency services personnel, community group representatives and workers within various branches of the social services.
“This is new, so each committee will establish their own mandate. We hope they will be able to identify issues in their (realm).
“We can’t solve all community issues by ourselves,” Fraser continued. “We need people to help make sure we are working on solutions together.”
Information sessions are scheduled for March: in North Saanich at the Wain Road fire hall March 3 at 6 p.m. and in Sidney March 4, 6 p.m. at the Sidney fire hall on Third Street.
To register for one of these sessions, contact Cpl. Erin Fraser at 250-656-3931 or email her at erin.fraser@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.