Selkirk Detachment

Contact Information:
1019 Manitoba Avenue
Selkirk, MB
R1A 3T7
Ph: (204) 482-1222
Fax: (204) 482-9131
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P.O. Box 190
Grand Marais, MB
R0E 0T0
Ph: (204) 754-3494
Fax: (204) 754-3727

Location:
The detachment is located 20 minutes north of Winnipeg. We provide service to the City of Selkirk, the RMs of St. Andrews, St. Clements, and West St. Paul, the village of Dunnotar, Brokenhead Ojibwa First Nation, the village of Grand Marais, Victoria Beach, Lester Beach and the Grand Beach Provincial Park. The patrol area extends to the City of Winnipeg to the south, Lake Winnipeg to the north, Highway #59 to the east, and Highway #8 to the west.

Local Population:
Approximately 45,000 people.

RCMP Detachment:
Selkirk detachment consists of 40 regular members and 11 civilian employees. Selkirk Traffic Services is comprised of 13 members and one civilian employee. Selkirk Traffic Services operates autonomously. The City of Selkirk funds 18 positions and six support staff through a municipal contract with the RCMP. There are 22 members that make up the Rural complement of the detachment, including three members at the satellite office of Grand Marais.

The detachment also provides policing services to the isolated communities of Bloodvein, Berens River, and Poplar River.

Selkirk Detachment is commanded by an Inspector, one Staff Sergeant, one Sergeant, four Corporals, a plainclothes investigation unit, a community policing coordinator, a victim services unit and the Coordinator for the Selkirk Team for At Risk Teens (S.T.A.R.T.).

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:

Selkirk Team for At-Risk Teens (START): This group targets high-risk youth in the community. It is a partnership of RCMP, Probation Services, Lord Selkirk School Division, Child and Family Services, and the Interlake Regional Health Authority. START is a systemic communication network. The youth and his or her family members must consent to being in the START program, which will provide a therapeutic approach to dealing with the risk the youth is experiencing.

Child Abuse Committee: This committee uses a multi-agency approach with the goal of preventing incidents of child abuse. The group includes representatives from Child and Family Services, Lord Selkirk School Division, Victim Services, and a local pediatrician. RCMP members are included in this committee, which reviews cases of habitual offenders, and how the community should deal with them.

Graffiti: The detachment has partnered with Probation Services, the City of Selkirk, Citizens on Patrol, and a number of local businesses to combat the ongoing graffiti problem. Citizens on Patrol identifies graffiti sights, Probation Services provides "youth in conflict with the law" to provide labour in cleaning up the graffiti sites, Options for Youth provides a worker to supervise the clean up operation and the youth. Material and equipment is donated by local businesses and the City of Selkirk. This program runs from May until late October.

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 (CJF): The Selkirk Justice Committee services the needs for the Selkirk detachment area. Selkirk Probation Services primarily oversees the work of the Justice Committee, Selkirk RCMP has fostered a strong partnership with the Justice Committee which will ensure ongoing participation from the RCMP. The Selkirk Justice Committee has trained facilitators, who work under the supervision of Probations Services.

Selkirk Probation Services works very closely with Selkirk RCMP in an attempt to bring CJFs to the Brokenhead Ojibwa First Nation. A Community Coordinator has been hired and the Chief and Council has made the development of a Community Justice Forum a priority.

Mediation: Members of the Selkirk RCMP use mediation as an alternative way to dealing with some issues rather than using the court system. This is done with the mediation of the Selkirk Probation Services, internally before charges are laid, or as an assistance to the school system to deal with other students who are bullying, stalking, threatening teachers, or fighting with other students.

Youth Criminal Justice Act: Members have worked closely with Probation Services, Child and Family Services, the Lord Selkirk School Division and the Selkirk Team for At Risk Teens (S.T.A.R.T.) to establish community protocol for the administration of alternative justice as it pertains to the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The detachment commander has also had ongoing discussions with the Crown Attorney, and the mayor and councillors for the City of Selkirk, regarding the development of more Alternative Justice Forums for the area.

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:

Community Policing Coordinator: The Community Policing Coordinator has developed an excellent media strategy for Selkirk Detachment, which ensures the public is apprised of community crime trends. The Community Policing Coordinator manages the RCMP/Lord Selkirk School Division liaison program and conducts most of the school-based intervention/mediation. The Coordinator is also a member of each school's threat assessment team within the Lord Selkirk School Division, a member of the START program, and sits on the Selkirk Crime Prevention Council as an advisor.

Citizens on Patrol Program (COPP): The detachment supports an effective COP program. Volunteers are involved in crime watch and crime prevention activities and are credited with solving a number of Criminal Code offences. COP program are also involved with the Speed Watch program. COP program assists with the anti graffiti program in identifying sites where graffiti needs to be removed. There are COP operating in the City of Selkirk, South St Clements and the Highway Gardens Trailer Court in the RM of St Andrews.

Drug Awareness Resistance Education (DARE): The DARE program is being delivered to some of the elementary schools in the detachment area. DARE is a collaborative program that educates students about the personal and social consequences of substance abuse. DARE lessons not only include a strong no-use message but also include lessons on learning assertiveness, managing stress, reducing violence, combating media influences, making decisions about risky behaviours, having positive role models, and building self esteem. The detachment presently has trained DARE instructors who are actively involved in teaching the core curriculum to grade five students in the Lord Selkirk School Division.

Other Crime Prevention Programs include:

• Gang Awareness
• Neighbourhood Watch
• Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD)
• Crime Stoppers
• Special Event Awareness Weeks
• School Liaison Program
• Selkirk Crime Prevention Council
• Auxiliary Constable Program
• Crime Prevention and Community Group-Village of Dunnotar

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

• Red Serge Duty & Parades
• RCMP Run for Cancer
• Law Enforcement Torch Run

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:

• City of Selkirk Managers Meeting
• City of Selkirk Mayor and Council
• RM of St. Andrews Reeve and Council
• RM of St. Clements Reeve and Council
• RM of West St. Paul Reeve and Council
• Brokenhead, Berens River, Poplar River and Bloodvein chiefs and Councils
• Department of Natural Resources and Coast Guard
• Civilian Search and Rescue
• Chamber of Commerce
• Crown Attorney
• Victim Services