THIS IS THE LIFE: BUSINESS PLAN MARKS NEW ERA IN POLICING

I'll preface this by saying that I've liked almost every police
officer I've ever met. And I think our local RCMP provides excellent
service in a nearly always thankless job. (My opinion might be
further swayed because I have a son who is trying to join the force
and that I have a brother-in-law, a very good man, who is a retired
RCMP officer.)

When I read Sgt. Mark Fisher's annual business plan, though, my
regard rose even further. This is definitely a document for our
current times, I have concluded.

Policing is a tough job. No one calls 911 or 428-9313 with good news
(unless it's me, calling to schedule my weekly police report
meeting). The role has changed dramatically over the years, though we
still tend to think of police as catching the bad guys and putting
them behind bars. Prevention has become a large part of the job, and
with that comes public relations and participation in community
activities. Mix in the fact that we rarely lower our expectations of
public servants and the result is that being a police officer is not
only a tough job, but it gets tougher with each passing year.

"The RCMP's overall organizational goal is to provide for safe homes,
safe communities and a reduction in crime," Fisher writes in his
report. "In order to achieve this goal we must become more
strategically focused and accountable not only within our
organization but externally with our clients, partners and
stakeholders."

The local detachment's priorities are not created in a vacuum.
Community organizations, elected officials and members of the
detachment all had input. Key areas that Fisher promises to focus on
in the coming year are drug cultivation and trafficking, youth,
aboriginal policing and community involvement. Regular readers of the
Advance, and the police news reports in particular, won't be
surprised by the first three priorities. But the last one might raise
a few eyebrows. "Is community involvement something to be put into a
strategic plan?" one might ask.

Fisher obviously thinks so. A number of the initiatives he describes
reflect the need for community involvement, and the document explains
the purposes behind each endeavour.

A shift in the traditional methods of tackling the illicit drug
problem is a good example of Fisher's approach to policing. He's
training more members to do mountain bike patrols, which puts
officers in closer contact with the public and, in particular, young
people. Members will be doing more plainclothes work when
concentrating on drug houses and each is expected to begin
cultivating sources that can provide timely, accurate information
about the growing and trafficking of illegal drugs.

"Department members will continue to be encouraged to play an active
role in organizing and participating in youth activities within the
Creston Valley . . . All members are expected to participate in any
sporting events that are organized with local youth," Fisher says in
his report.

And I was especially impressed with the following: "Members will also
make foot patrols through the Aboriginal Family Centre so that they
are aware of programs offered for aboriginals at risk in the community."

It's heartening to know that police are expected to take an active
interest, not just in responding to reports of crimes, but in
becoming intimately aware of things that are happening in communities
throughout the Creston Valley .

Other initiatives include a new look at how to enhance the important
volunteer role taken on by Citizens on Patrol (COP), presentations of
the strategic plan to community groups and continued support for the
restorative justice process, which is often more effective than the
court system.

Fisher's assessment that a reduction in social safety net programs is
often short-term gain leading to long-term pain demonstrates that he
brings a clear understanding of the difficulties rural communities
face when governments slash budgets with no clear anticipation of the
inevitable results (witness the about-face the Campbell government is
doing in the aftermath of the Hughes report).

Policing, like most public services, is becoming increasingly
complex. Single-pronged approaches rarely work in resolving complex
problems. Sgt. Fisher and his young team appear willing to bring that
basic understanding to policing in the Creston Valley.