Steinbach Detachment

Contact Information:
100 PTH 12 North
Steinbach, MB
R5G 1Y1
Ph: (204) 326-4452
Fax: (204) 326-3926

Location:
The City of Steinbach is approximately 40 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg. The Village of Sprague is located 110 kilometres southeast of Steinbach and is 21 kilometres from the Minnesota border.

Local Population:
Approximately 36,000 people living in a 4,500 square kilometre region.

RCMP Detachment:
The RCMP Steinbach Detachment with Sprague Community Office serves the City of Steinbach, the Rural Municipalities of La Broquerie, Ste. Anne, Hanover, Reynolds, and Piney and the Buffalo Point First Nation.

The RCMP Steinbach Detachment consists of one staff sergeant, one sergeant, three corporals, 17 constables and one constable who acts as the community liaison officer. The Sprague Community Office consists of an additional corporal and three constables with one constable assigned to the Buffalo Point First Nation Community Tripartite Agreement (CTA). A Traffic Services unit consisting of one corporal and three constables is posted in Steinbach and is under Division Traffic Services located in Headingley.

Community-based problem solving:

The community liaison officer chairs the Steinbach RCMP Community Advisory Committee. Often, other 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:

Winnipeg Child and Family Services: This organization provides services for children in need. There is a CFS satellite office in Steinbach, which provides daily service. Our members have a close working relationship with CFS workers, particularly regarding investigations of sexual child abuse, physical child abuse, and monitoring family court orders where there has been a history of abuse recognized by the courts.

Child Abuse Committee: This group consists of representatives form Child & Family Services, Public Health, Probation, Education and the RCMP. The committee reviews instances of child abuse. This multi-disciplinary team provides consultation in the investigation and management of cases and makes recommendations regarding the protection of children.

Eastman Crisis Center: Situated in Steinbach, the Eastman Crisis Center operates Agape House, a women’s shelter. Agape House not only provides shelter for female victims of abuse but also provides counselling services, safety planning for victims, temporary living arrangements following departure, and a general life skills counselling program. RCMP officers have a close working relationship with Agape House sharing a common goal of protecting women and children from domestic abuse.

Family Services and Housing: Situated in Steinbach, this provincial agency provides client services for persons in need of life skills counselling and community living assistance. As well, there is an on-site behavioural specialist to assist children with anger management issues.

Southeast Mental Health Services: Situated in Steinbach, this organization provides counselling and referral services to clients who have mental health issues. The Mobile Crisis Response Unit will respond 24 hours a day to any residence or our detachment to provide immediate service for clients in need. The RCMP and Crisis Unit frequently work together in assisting individuals deal with mental health issues.

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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.

Steinbach Youth Justice Committee (SYJC): This committee has provided a valuable alternative measures program to the community for 20 years. Members have had a continuous positive working relationship with this committee where more than 400 youths have been successfully diverted from court and have completed various community-imposed dispositions. One of the more successful programs conducted annually by the SYJC for the past 10 years has been the anti-shoplifting program.

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:

Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE): DARE is a comprehensive prevention education program designed to equip grade 6 students with the skills required to recognize and resist social pressures to experiment with tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. The program is taught by trained police officers and is integrated with the school curriculum.

School Liaisons: Steinbach Detachment's Community Liaison Officer is responsible for the 17 primary, junior, and secondary schools in our service area, and is required to deliver relevant crime prevention presentations to students based on various topics, as mutually agreed upon with school faculty.

Auxiliary Constable Program: Our detachment has been involved in this program since its inception by the province. We currently have two auxiliary constables, both of whom dedicate approximately 20 hours of volunteer time in any given month.

Media Relations: The RCMP Steinbach Detachment has an excellent relationship with the local media. Local media is appraised of newsworthy items on a regular basis. The local radio station (1250 AM/96.7FM) contacts the Detachment each Monday morning for items of interest.

Snoman Inc. (Snowmobilers of Manitoba): Sprague and Steinbach officers have patrolled with Snoman volunteers to check for passes, liquor act violations, and, on occasion, lost or missing snowmobilers.

Driver Education Class: Officers are invited to do presentations on the consequences of drinking and driving to driver education classes at Steinbach High School.

Addictions Awareness Committee: An officer participates on this committee which organizes events to educate citizens on the risks of drug and alcohol abuse.

Aboriginal & Youth Community Plan: The RCMP Steinbach Detachment with Sprague Community Office has hosted a number of community consultations with key stakeholder, partners and of the community of interest to discuss and solicit information on issues and challenges in the community. The plans are designed to help meet community needs, to strengthen partnerships, to provide direction for ongoing and future initiatives and to create a structure for purposes of planning and reporting. The plans focus on Aboriginal and Youth issues.

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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:

• AA/Al Anon/Alateen
• Red Serge Duty
• Coaching

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:

• Steinbach City Council and RM Councils
• Buffalo First Nation Reserve Band Council
• Manitoba District Natural Resources
• U.S. and Canada Customs
• Provincial Highways Enforcement Branch
• Ste. Anne Police
• Women's Advocacy