Lac Du Bonnet Detachment

Contact Information:
Box 280
Lac du Bonnet, MB
R0E 1A0
Ph: (204) 345-6311
Fax: (204) 345-6307

Location:
The detachment area covers approximately 7,500 square kilometres, and includes the Town of Lac du Bonnet, Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet, portions of the RM of Alexander, the LGD of Pinawa (municipal contract), the RM of Whitemouth, and portions of the RM of Reynolds. The detachment area also includes portions of both the Whiteshell Provincial Park and Nopiming Provincial Park.

Local Population:
Large portions of the detachment area are uninhabited and the population of permanent residents is a few thousand. The population can increase to 50,000 in the summer, when cottagers and tourists flock to the area.

RCMP Detachment:
The detachment personnel includes one staff sergeant, one corporal, six constables, and two public service employees in Lac du Bonnet; two constables in Pinawa; and one corporal, two constables, and one public service employee in Whitemouth. The detachment maintains a fleet of seven vehicles, four snowmobiles, one inland water transport, and two all-terrain vehicles.

Community-based problem solving:

Often, groups are already in place to deal with ongoing concerns or community projects. The following details what community challenges are being addressed by the members of the RCMP in partnership with their community. The major working groups include:

Lac du Bonnet Inter-Agency Committee: This local committee, consisting of representatives from the RCMP, Child & Family Services, recreation, churches, and public health, meets monthly to discuss issues related to the provision of service within the community. The committee works to identify gaps in service, and then works to obtain the necessary resources. The inter-agency group also works to provide space in the community where counselling can be provided to victims of domestic violence. The detachment commander represents the local RCMP on this committee.

Mrs. Lucci’s Resource Centre: This resource centre operates a second-hand store in the Town of Lac du Bonnet and carries programs that assist clients who wish to enter the workforce, children at risk, and families in general. Mrs. Lucci’s solicits volunteers from non-profit organizations to work shifts at the centre, and in turn, shares a percentage of the profits with the non-profit organizations that help. The programs will include services regarding parenting, nutrition, work experience, literacy, etc., to support families in the community. The detachment commander sits on the board of directors and attends meetings.

Northeastern Interagency Committee: This committee is similar to the Lac du Bonnet Inter-Agency Committee, but broader in scope. It consists of representatives from a variety of social agencies including the RCMP, Child & Family Services, local churches, Mental Health, Sunrise School Division, and others. We identify issues that affect the region by facilitating communication and improving resource sharing. It has served as an excellent forum for analyzing the impact of crime prevention and justice strategies on an individual’s health.

Child and Family Services: The detachment deals with various Child and Family Services agencies that operate in our detachment area. The provincial department of Family Services and Housing and Winnipeg Child and Family Services are responsible for all child protection issues. Winnipeg Child and Family Services is a private agency with specialized workers. In investigations involving children and families, a process is in place whereby the member assigned the investigation consults with a representative of Child and Family Services, and a mutually-agreeable investigative plan is put in place.

Lac du Bonnet Youth Center: Lac du Bonnet Detachment has a member assigned to the Lac du Bonnet Youth Center Board. The Youth Center provides a safe environment for at-risk youth to attend for socializing and fun. It also allows a place that the local detachment can build bridges with these youth to improve relations with them.

Pinawa Vanier Teen Centre: The Centre is operated by the town in order to offer a place to local youth to gather and socialize outside of scholl programming in a controlled, supportive environment. Members routinely stop by the Centre to visit with the attending youth, and take time to meet with the administrators of the centre.

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Restorative and alternative justice:

Nationwide, members of the RCMP are involved in alternative justice processes, whether volunteering as facilitators or sitting on steering committees. Each community may embrace a different form of restorative justice, be it community justice forums, circle sentencing, or mediation.

Community Justice Forums: Community justice forums have been used in the past in a variety of situations. The detachment is in the process of identifying and selecting individuals to become CJF facilitators. There are currently five community members who are trained facilitators who will be working directly with detachment personnel and court personnel to resolve issues. It is expected in the early stages that new facilitators will have minor issues such as vandalism and shoplifting referred to them by detachment members, as these are matters that would be better dealt with outside the court system.

Community Justice Committees: These committees are in place in the communities of Lac du Bonnet and Pinawa. The detachment liases with the communities and diverts as many offences as possible from the formal court process. These Committees deal with both adult and youth offenders.

Alternative Justice: The detachment is involved in providing a number of alternatives to the formal court process. In some cases, it may involve parents or school representatives in lieu of a formal court proceeding. Other alternatives may include education, cautioning, or having the violator dealt with by those affected by the incident.

Crime prevention:

Members of the RCMP are involved with a number of programs designed to prevent crime in our communities through both indirect and direct intervention. From school talks to youth initiatives and community safety plans, the goal of crime prevention programs is to target the roots of potential criminal and social problems. Members of the RCMP are involved in the following initiatives:

Citizens on Patrol (COP): A COP program operates in the Whiteshell Provincial Park and Pinawa. Both programs are supported by their respective community detachments.

North Whiteshell Business Association & Whiteshell District Cottagers Association: Whitemouth Community Detachment liaises with these groups by disseminating information on criminal activity in the Whiteshell Provincial Park. These associations advise police of their shifts and patrol their respective areas. They hold annual meetings, which RCMP are invited to attend. There has been a noted decrease in cottage break and enters as a result of the work being carried out by these groups.

Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE): The DARE program was implemented in the Lac du Bonnet detachment area in 2000-01. Two DARE-trained detachment members deliver the program to Grade 6 students in the area. The 17-week course is presently being delivered to more than 100 students in Lac du Bonnet, Pinawa, and Whitemouth.

School Liaison: Members of the Pinawa detachment visit the senior and elementary schools in Pinawa on an informal basis, two to three hours every two weeks in addition to time spent delivering the DARE Program. This serves to facilitate a more open atmosphere. Members also visit the Lac du Bonnet Senior School on an informal basis, as is done in Pinawa.

Auxiliary Constable Program: The detachment has four auxiliary constables. The program promotes community-based policing by participating in community events and assisting detachment members with some general policing duties. Under the supervision of an RCMP regular member, auxiliary constables participate in RCMP-supported community events and programs, crime prevention initiatives within schools, traffic control, ground patrols, search and rescue, parades, and other ceremonial events.

Rural Crime Watch: There are 18 Rural Crime Watch areas within the detachment area. Each has a Crime Watch captain, and we have a volunteer who coordinates the Crime Watch program and organizes a semiannual meeting of the captains at the detachment. The detachment has a member designated as the liaison with the Crime Watch programs and is responsible for supporting and encouraging programs. Members also attend annual meetings of the Crime Watch and/or cottage associations to speak about security and crime prevention.

School Talks/Tours: The schools in Lac du Bonnet, Pinawa, and Whitemouth request ongoing talks with all age groups on various topics. Several members have been involved in specific programs such as “Hug a Tree” and Safety Bear presentations to day cares, nursery schools and elementary schools. Both preschool and school-aged children have attended the detachments in their respective area, where members have conducted tours and provided children with various promotional items such as colouring books and stickers.

Additional Crime Prevention Programming:

• Manitoba Crime Stoppers
• School Liaison Officers
• Bicycle Safety lecture and rodeos
• Snowmobile Safety/Patrols
• Boating Safety/Patrols
• Pinawa and Lac du Bonnet Secondary School Safe Grad
• Communication through various media

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Police-community relations:

Without a solid base upon which to work, the police cannot hope to build the necessary partnerships with the community to prevent crime and to solve community problems. Members of the RCMP strive to build those bridges by appreciating the needs of the communities in which they work and live. Their commitment to the community goes beyond simple participation as residents, but also as active members of the community. Members of the RCMP are involved in the following initiatives:

• Detachment tours
• Public relations
• Public presentations on topics such as fraud, scams, bullying, and ATV safety
• Red serge duty/special events
• RCMP curling funspiel
• RCMP Gold tournament

Quality service through strategic partnerships:

The community also benefits directly and indirectly from strategic partnerships that the RCMP forms with other law enforcement and governmental agencies as well as with as with other community groups. Several unique associations have been formed:

• Lac du Bonnet Chamber of Commerce
• Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
• Fire Department/Ambulance Service/Provincial Helicopters
• Victim Services
• Local Newspapers
• Child and Family Services
• Municipal Councils