Parkland Detachment

Contact Information:
2 Hedderly Street
Dauphin, MB
R7N 3M2
Ph: (204) 622-5020
Fax: (204) 622-5070

Location:
Parkland is a large detachment, covering approximately 8,000 square kilometres. The detachment is bordered by Riding Mountain National Park to the south, Dauphin Lake to the east, Duck Mountain Provincial Park to the northwest.

Local Population:
Approximately 16,000 people.

RCMP Detachment:
The detachment consists of 23 regular members as follows: one staff sergeant, one sergeant, three corporals, 18 constables and five administrative support persons. The detachment maintains a fleet of 12 cars, two snow machines, two ATVs, two boats and one utility vehicle.

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:

City of Dauphin: The elected leaders of Dauphin have been actively engaged in the policing issues of the community. In particular, the City of Dauphin has assisted the detachment in determining its policing priorities and facilitating their achievement.

Rural Municipalities: The detachment enjoys an excellent working relationship with elected officials of the many rural communities in the detachment area. The seven rural members meet frequently with elected officials and community leaders in order to obtain their suggestions and viewpoints about problems and ways of improving the delivery of policing services.

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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, sentencing circles, or mediation.

Community and Youth Correction Services: The advent of the Youth Criminal Justice Act saw restorative justice in Dauphin come under the administration of Community and Youth Correction Services (CYCS). CYCS has two trained facilitators in Community Justice Forums (CJFs), which has become one of the foremost methods of delivering restorative justice. Though restorative justice is conducted exclusively by CYCS, the detachment continues to play an important support role and a member is assigned as liaison. The detachment routinely refers offenders to restorative justice as an alternative to the formal criminal justice system.

Grand Plains Community Restorative Justice Committee: Rural communities do not get easy access to the restorative justice services provided in Dauphin. To address crimes committed in its area, one rural community has an active Restorative Justice Committee, which had fallen into disuse over the past few years. The detachment has made several referrals to the committee and hopes to continue in its support and advisory role.

Informal Mediation and Education: The majority of offenses committed by youth are handled at "street level" by the officer. Minor crimes by first time offenders usually result in the police officer cautioning the youth, advising the parent of the misdeed, and working with both parties to prevent a reoccurrence. Breaches of the curfew by-law, for example, rarely result in the issuance of an offense notice. Rather, the child is escorted home and the parent and child are educated about the by-law and their cooperation is sought to ensure future compliance. Such informal counseling, mediation and education are "restorative" by nature and constitute an effective way of dealing with minor offenses outside of the formal justice system.

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 are to target the roots of potential criminal and social problems. Members of the RCMP are involved in the following initiatives:

Drug Education: Talks are given to various groups and schools on request, usually by a member with extensive drug enforcement experience. The presentations were centered around narcotics trafficking and had the intent of arming teachers with some useful information to detect and prevent drug use among students.

Dauphin Citizens on Patrol Program: Volunteers conduct patrols and act as the police's eyes and ears, reporting and recording suspicious activities. They have cellular telephones, flashlights, reflective clothing and training on what to do when encountering suspicious persons and criminal activity. The detachment has a support role with the Citizens on Patrol (COP), providing training, security clearances and assistance with coordination and planning.

Gilbert Plains Citizens on Patrol Program: In 2003, the detachment and community leaders formed the first COP program in Gilbert Plains. The Parkland RCMP also enjoys a close working relationship with this COP.

Cottage Watch: This crime prevention initiative operates much the same as COP, with cottage residents being encouraged to be vigilant and report suspicious activities to the detachment. Cottage Watches currently exist for Dauphin and Ochre Beaches and Singuish Lake in the Duck Mountains. Members of the detachment have an advisory and support role in the program. Members, for example, procured a series of detailed maps of the areas on behalf of the Watches.

Other Crime Prevention Programs include:

• School Liaison
• Drug Awareness Resistance Education (D.A.R.E)
• Safe Grad
• Special Enforcement Patrols
• Parkland Crime Stoppers
• Media Liaison
• Fair Play Initiative
• Manitoba Provincial Insurance Sponsored Check Stops
• Target Vandalism
• Dauphin RIDE Program

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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:

• Partners Program
• Red Serge Duty
• Detachment Tours
• Open Houses
• Parkland Detachment Golf Tournaments
• Law Enforcement Torch Run
• Youth Coaching
• RCMP Run for Cancer
• RCMP Cops for Cancer
• Police Academy - Older Adult Division

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:

• Elected Officials
• Child Care Agencies
• Health Care Agencies
• Partners in Law Enforcement
• Victim Services
• Parkland Crisis Response Unit
• Dauphin Friendship Centre
• Youth Drop-in Centre
• Dauphin Volunteer Fire Department
• Parkland Crisis Centre and Women's Shelter
• Culture Awareness Committee
• Community and Youth Corrections Services
• Dauphin and Inter-Mountain Snowmobile Clubs