Community policing still focus

Letter to the editor - Editor:

A recent Guardian editorial ('Community policing equals safer cities,' Aug. 12, 2009) discussed the elimination by the Charlottetown Police Services (CPS) of its community policing officer position.

As noted, this move was a recommendation in the Organizational Review Evaluation of the CPS released earlier this year; however, this should not be understood as a retreat from community policing principles. Rather, the CPS is in the midst of reorganizing and developing a strategic plan that will put the task of community policing at the core of the CPS mission: "As guardians of the Birthplace of Canada, the Charlottetown Police Services, working with the community, will provide high quality police services and maintain a safe and peaceful environment for residents and visitors."

Responsibility for spearheading this mission will now reside with our newly appointed deputy chief, who has been tasked with oversight of operations and community policing. This provides the advantage of having a senior ranking officer undertaking a larger leadership role and helps to underscore our objective to have all members playing a role in community initiatives.

The strategic plan also defines our vision, or why we are here: "To work in partnership with the community to enhance the quality of life through crime prevention, enforcement and education."

In addition, four of the eight CPS core values specifically address the community and in the near future the mayor will be appointing members of a new community consultative group that will help guide and validate the priorities of the CPS.

All of our considerable efforts over the past five months have been focused on aligning CPS operations with national policing trends and implementing a truly comprehensive philosophy of community policing, as articulated by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police this week in Charlottetown. The job of connecting with the community will not belong to any singular officer, but to the whole of the CPS.

We are on the right track. Council has committed to ensuring we have the best policing service in the country. We are renewing the CPS in ways that are already improving public confidence, and will pay dividends for the whole community well into the future. The commitment to the shared values of the CPS and the community at large is best exemplified by our new slogan: "Our city. Our community. Our responsibility."

Coun. Rob Lantz

chair,

police bylaw enforcement committee