Director Donna McMahon received the following response from RCMP concerning the volunteer-staffed Speed Watch Program. Beyond this community policing program offered jointly by RCMP and ICBC, Elphinstone residents concerned about road issues in our area can contact the ECA Area E Roads committee here.
Thank you for your request made on behalf of concerned citizens, parents and our Area Representatives on the coast.
The Speed Watch Program is in demand coast wide, and particularly after having promoted it recently at a variety of public, school district, volunteer and community awareness events.
ICBC and the RCMP have partnered to offer this community policing program and other road safety programs in locations and communities where they:
*will address identified road safety concerns such as speeding and distracted driving
*can be offered safely by a team of approved, trained, managed and appreciated volunteers
*will collect, report on, analyze and respond to information and stats collected at any given Speed Watch/Distracted Driving Operation/location
I am teamed up with Constable Cole Vander Helm to help further develop existing and new collaborations and partnerships with stakeholders and recruit teams of well-trained community volunteers and leaders to better plan, implement, review and report on a variety of Community Policing Programs and Strategies. We will be holding a team meeting next week and will discuss your interest further.
Down the road, we look forward to contributing to the RCMP community asset mapping process to better understand and build the community capacities on the coast without re-inventing the wheel or duplicating services.
From Community Policing Resource Centre, BC – Aligning with RCMP Priorities ands Core Values:
“Communities, even those that are remote or rely upon a small number of community services, are made up of individuals and organizations with their knowledge, skills, cultures, histories, policies, systems, resources, and access to spaces and existing infrastructure that can all be leveraged and built upon to address issues that affect safety and well-being.
In times when getting additional human and financial resources is always challenging, solutions often have to rely on making the most of what already exists in communities supplemented, when possible, with available outside supports. We encourage police to work with community partners to conduct community asset mapping in order to find opportunities to build upon what already exists in the community. Undertaking these activities as part of effective problem-solving can produce better and more cost-effective solutions that empower the community members to continue to work collaboratively toward safe and secure BC communities”.
Donna, please feel free to contact me by email or phone to discuss your thoughts and next steps.
Thank you!
Warm regards,
Jan Smalley
Jan Smalley
Community Safety Coordinator
Community Policing Programs
Sunshine Coast Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
5800 Teredo Street B188 | Sechelt BC | V0N 3A0 | 604-885-2266
janet.smalley@rcmp-grc.gc.ca |direct line | 604-740-365 offered
