With 2018 nearing an end, it is a good time to reflect on the year. The RCMP enjoys a close relationship with the province, having been the provincial police force since 1932. For many of us at the New Brunswick RCMP, this is the province where we grew up, and in fact more than half of our employees were born here. Others who have moved here have made the choice to live, raise their families and become engrained in the communities they serve by volunteering and helping make our province an even better place.
While our police officers and those who work in specialized sections or a support capacity are often involved in the community beyond just a policing aspect, you as members of those same communities are involved in policing. Your warmth and generosity is tough not to notice. We appreciate your smiles and words of encouragement greeting us while we're out on patrol, and are humbled to receive your kind social media messages praising a job well done. Doing our best is what we, as the RCMP, strive to do every time we report to a shift, respond to a call or work to defuse a dangerous situation, and hearing that we are making a difference in the public's eyes can and does means so much.
We encourage your tips which help us do our police work, and recognize we can't succeed without the public's help. Your calls and anonymous Crime Stoppers tips alerting us to suspicious activity are concrete examples of how citizens can make a difference, and every member of a community can help us in identifying, reducing and solving crimes.
A milestone we could not have reached without the public's support is helping the combined @NBRCMP and @GRCNB accounts reach 100,000 followers on Twitter in October, making it one of, if not the most followed New Brunswick based Twitter accounts. Having so many people engaged on social media channels not only allows us to share news quickly, but it has also been proven to help the RCMP in our investigations, such as finding missing persons or crime suspects. We rely on your continued support and look forward to engaging with you in your communities across New Brunswick and on social media throughout 2019.
It was a year of challenges, but also one of renewed solidarity in New Brunswick. In May, the province saw one of the worst floods in decades but that did not stop neighbours in affected areas from pitching in for one other. Whether that was to help sandbag your neighbours' homes threatened by the rising water or, in some cases, evacuate people in immediate personal danger. It demonstrated the strength of character and community that can be found in every corner of New Brunswick.
In August, our province was rocked by the news we hoped we would never see again when four people were murdered in Fredericton including two police officers, Constables Robb Costello and Sara Mae Burns of the Fredericton Police Force. Our members quickly responded to help with specialized services and to assist with general policing duties in the city to allow our policing colleagues the time they needed to mourn.
In the days following the Fredericton investigation, your widespread kindness, thoughtful gifts and words of thanks to the policing community were reminders not only why we serve our communities, but also that our good work is being noticed and appreciated. Your support means a great deal to us, and for this we thank you.
Another area you have a critical role in helping make our province safer is on our roadways. As part of our commitment to reduce impaired driving-related injuries and deaths, you may have seen the RCMP conducting checkstops in various parts of the province. Traffic and road safety are priorities in the regular duties of all RCMP members, and not just during the holidays. Impaired driving, whether that is by alcohol or any drug, is a top priority of the RCMP across the country and this province.
Nearly every police officer sadly has a story about having to share news of the tragic consequences of an impaired driving crash with family members, and this is a message no one wants to hear or to deliver. It is heartbreaking for all involved, especially knowing these tragedies can be prevented.
There are alternatives to driving if you have been drinking or impaired by drugs, so we ask that you please plan ahead. Whether that means calling a taxi, having a designated sober driver, staying the night or engaging a seasonal safe ride service, we want everyone travelling our roads to make it safely to their destination, and their loved ones.
By making informed choices while travelling the province's roads this winter, you can help us protect everyone. This means slowing down in bad weather and avoiding unnecessary travel when the roads are slippery, never getting behind the wheel impaired, and reporting any suspected impaired drivers to police. We all share New Brunswick's roadways and can do our part to make them even safer every time we get in our vehicles.
On behalf of the New Brunswick RCMP, have a safe holiday season and Happy New Year.
A/Commr. Larry Tremblay M.O.M.
Commanding Officer, New Brunswick RCMP