ATHABASCA - Athabasca’s RCMP officers are going to be posted up in Paddymelon’s Gifts, Espresso & Eatery and the Van Hout Bakery on alternating Thursdays in an effort to be more accessible to the local community.
The program, which started at 9 a.m. on July 18, will see members and senior officers hang out in the local cafes for an hour each week to help “bridge the gap” between law enforcement and the community it serves.
“We need to be more in touch with the community — we need to be able to hear what the community is thinking, and the best way to do that is to have boots on the ground,” said Cpl. Dan Fenton on July 19.
“We utilize the public as our largest asset, but we never recognize them. So, in this approach, we can sit down, we can listen to what they have to say and ascertain if its within what we’re doing, or if we need to change what we’re doing.”
The weekly program will alternate venues each Thursday — Van Hout will host the Mounties July 25 before they return to Paddymelon’s August 1, and so on — but the 9 a.m. start time will remain the same. Officer availability will be dependent on what’s happening in the region at that time, but the constables are encouraged to join in when they have time.
“Any positive interaction we have with the public is a success,” said Fenton. “I would like to think that any knowledge we can acquire from the public, or any knowledge that we can pass onto the public is a success as well.”
The program already exists in Westlock, where it’s held at the Westlock Library once a month, and so far, it’s been a success. While Athabasca’s first turnout was a little smaller, the detachment is hoping it will grow in the coming weeks.
“In order to hear what people are feeling, and if what we’re doing is working or if we need to change something, the public is the best option to do that,” said Fenton. “Like I said earlier, they’re our greatest asset, and they don’t know that enough.”
