Pubdate: Thu, 13 Apr 2006
Source: Creston Valley Advance (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 Sterling Newspapers Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.crestonvalley.com/advance/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1413
Author: Lorne Eckersley

THIS IS THE LIFE: BUSINESS PLAN MARKS NEW ERA IN POLICING

I'll preface this by saying that I've liked almost every police  
officer I've ever met. And I think our local RCMP provides excellent  
service in a nearly always thankless job. (My opinion might be  
further swayed because I have a son who is trying to join the force  
and that I have a brother-in-law, a very good man, who is a retired  
RCMP officer.)

When I read Sgt. Mark Fisher's annual business plan, though, my  
regard rose even further. This is definitely a document for our  
current times, I have concluded.

Policing is a tough job. No one calls 911 or 428-9313 with good news  
(unless it's me, calling to schedule my weekly police report  
meeting). The role has changed dramatically over the years, though we  
still tend to think of police as catching the bad guys and putting  
them behind bars. Prevention has become a large part of the job, and  
with that comes public relations and participation in community  
activities. Mix in the fact that we rarely lower our expectations of  
public servants and the result is that being a police officer is not  
only a tough job, but it gets tougher with each passing year.

"The RCMP's overall organizational goal is to provide for safe homes,  
safe communities and a reduction in crime," Fisher writes in his  
report. "In order to achieve this goal we must become more  
strategically focused and accountable not only within our  
organization but externally with our clients, partners and  
stakeholders."

The local detachment's priorities are not created in a vacuum.  
Community organizations, elected officials and members of the  
detachment all had input. Key areas that Fisher promises to focus on  
in the coming year are drug cultivation and trafficking, youth,  
aboriginal policing and community involvement. Regular readers of the  
Advance, and the police news reports in particular, won't be  
surprised by the first three priorities. But the last one might raise  
a few eyebrows. "Is community involvement something to be put into a  
strategic plan?" one might ask.

Fisher obviously thinks so. A number of the initiatives he describes  
reflect the need for community involvement, and the document explains  
the purposes behind each endeavour.

A shift in the traditional methods of tackling the illicit drug  
problem is a good example of Fisher's approach to policing. He's  
training more members to do mountain bike patrols, which puts  
officers in closer contact with the public and, in particular, young  
people. Members will be doing more plainclothes work when  
concentrating on drug houses and each is expected to begin  
cultivating sources that can provide timely, accurate information  
about the growing and trafficking of illegal drugs.

"Department members will continue to be encouraged to play an active  
role in organizing and participating in youth activities within the  
Creston Valley . . . All members are expected to participate in any  
sporting events that are organized with local youth," Fisher says in  
his report.

And I was especially impressed with the following: "Members will also  
make foot patrols through the Aboriginal Family Centre so that they  
are aware of programs offered for aboriginals at risk in the community."

It's heartening to know that police are expected to take an active  
interest, not just in responding to reports of crimes, but in  
becoming intimately aware of things that are happening in communities  
throughout the Creston Valley .

Other initiatives include a new look at how to enhance the important  
volunteer role taken on by Citizens on Patrol (COP), presentations of  
the strategic plan to community groups and continued support for the  
restorative justice process, which is often more effective than the  
court system.

Fisher's assessment that a reduction in social safety net programs is  
often short-term gain leading to long-term pain demonstrates that he  
brings a clear understanding of the difficulties rural communities  
face when governments slash budgets with no clear anticipation of the  
inevitable results (witness the about-face the Campbell government is  
doing in the aftermath of the Hughes report).

Policing, like most public services, is becoming increasingly  
complex. Single-pronged approaches rarely work in resolving complex  
problems. Sgt. Fisher and his young team appear willing to bring that  
basic understanding to policing in the Creston Valley.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jackl