Thompson Detachment

Contact Information:
122 Selkirk Ave.
Thompson, MB
R8N 0M9
Ph: (204) 677-6909
Fax: (204) 677-6947

Location:
Thompson Detachment is situated in the centre of the City of Thompson and is the largest RCMP detachment in Manitoba. It is located 750 km north of Winnipeg.

Local Population:
Approximately 15,000 people.

RCMP Detachment:
The detachment consists of City and Rural, Community Policing Unit and General Investigation Section (GIS). The City Unit currently has 36 members including one Inspector, one Admin NCO staff/sergeant, one OPS NCO sergeant, four corporals, and 28 constables. The unit is divided into four watches of one corporal and six or seven regular members each. The GIS plainclothes watch consists of one corporal and three constables. The Rural Unit consists of one corporal and five constables.

The following six community notations are under the umbrella of Thompson RCMP jurisdiction.

Split Lake (Tataskweyak Cree Nation) is a First Nation community of approximately 2000 people, located along PTH 280, one hundred and fifty kilometers to the northeast of Thompson.

York Factory First Nation is a community of approximately 250 people, located 45 kilometers south of Split Lake.

Tadoule Lake (Sayisi Dene First Nation) is a community of 325 people located 350 kilometers north of Thompson.

Pikwitonei is a community of 200 people located 50 kilometers southeast of Thompson.

Thicket Portage is a community of approximately 250 people located south of Thompson.

COMMUNITY-BASED PROBLEM SOLVING:

Often, there are groups 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:

Thompson Advisory Committee: An RCMP member is part of this committee, including MacDonald Youth Services, Community and Youth Corrections, Mental Health, Ma-Mow-We-Tak Friendship Centre, Manitoba Education and Training, all the schools, Faculty of Social Work, Child & Family Services and Alcohol Foundation of Manitoba with a goal to develop services dealing with youth in the community.

Futures: This Committee encompasses programs dealing with young and potential mothers in school. The goal of this committee is to promote the health of children up to six years old, give parents better skills and identify children at risk and reduce health barriers. They offer individual support programs involving information on parenting, off campus schooling, pregnancy, abuse, home visiting, recreational activities, group and peer support.

Homeless Shelter: Members have been actively involved, along with 18 other agencies in the creation and opening of a shelter in Thompson.The Shelter is actively used and offers accommodations, food, and resources for those in need. The Shelter is currently in the process of expanding as a result of demand for its use.

Other major working groups include:

• Child Abuse Committee
• Protective Service Committee
• Neighbourhood Watch Program
• Municipal Drug Strategy
• Sexually Exploited Youth Team
• MacDonald Youth Services Northern Advisory Board
• Youth at Risk Committee

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RESTORATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE JUSTICE:

Nationwide, members of the RCMP are involved in alternative justice processes, whether it is 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.

Northern Restorative Justice: There has now been a Northern Restorative Justice Coordinator assigned, who provides information to members on an informative basis. The Detachment, in conjunction with the Coordinator, is promoting an increase in referrals to Restorative Justice.

The program now encompasses a number of community justice streams including mediation and aboriginal justice options in addition to Community Justice Forums. RCMP members can now use a streamlined application to refer alleged offenses to Restorative Justice. A coalition of Justice agencies under the umbrella of Northern Restorative Justice reviews Restorative Justice files on a weekly basis and streams them to the appropriate community justice option. The target time line for disposition is two weeks, with most files being complete within three to four months.

Inland Court: Court parties often cancel as a result of inclement weather. Thus, due to loss of jurisdiction, the members must resummon everyone on the docket. Therefore, on behalf of the members, the judges made a submission to the Chief Justice who agreed that teleconferencing will be allowed from Thompson Court House to the First Nation to remand our clients on the docket.

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 to 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:

Thompson Skateboard Park: This youth project initiated and spearheaded by members of Thompson detachment centres around the purchase of a portable/moveable skateboard park. In partnership with local youth, the City of Thompson, a skateboard park will be purchased, and moved throughout the community to different locations under the direction of the Recreation Department. Value of the skateboard park is $40,000.

Community Storefronts: The detachment has recently reactivated a storefront operation within the local high school. Its focus is youth development and pro-active police-youth interaction.

Northern Circle of Youth & Boys and Girls Club: Two separate youth initiatives where members are involved, and are seated on the executive committees. These clubs motivate youth, and encourage learning through various formats. A new youth centre was created and requested RCMP to sit on the executive committee to assist in fundraising and address security issues. This centre is currently up and running and offers many programs and educational opportunities for youth.

Other Crime Prevention Programs include:

• Regional Drug Strategy
• Gang Coordinator
• Citizens on Patrol (COP)
• Auxiliary Constable
• Crime Prevention Committee
• Bike Patrol
• Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD)
• Snowman Provincial Organization
• Chamber of Commerce
• Cottage Owners Association
• Addictions Week
• Drug Awareness
• Crime Stoppers
• Bike Rodeo
• Men Are Part of the Solutions (MAPS) Program
• Mental Health Liaison
• Operation Rednose

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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 daily 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:

• Northern Cold Water Testing
• Critical Incident Stress Management Team
• Thompson Crisis Centre
• Parents & Tots
• Detachment Tours
• Paint Lake Search & Rescue
• School Liaison
• Ski Trip to Mystery Mountain
• Red Serge Duty & Parades
• Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR)
• Annual Sub/Div Hockey Tournament
• Golf Tournament
• Police Week Contest

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 Thompson
• School District of Mystery Lake - (R.D. Parker Collegiate)
• Homeless Shelter - “A Place of Healing”
• United Steelworkers of America/INCO Ltd./City of Thompson
• Probation Services
• Boys & Girls Club of Thompson
• Thompson Airport & Ground Services
• AFM Advisory Board
• Nickel Days Board
• Taxicab Liaison
• Downtown Business Owners
• Security and Bylaw Officers