Yellowknife (Aug 22/03) - New RCMP programs are coming to Yellowknife.

Starting next month, the Yellowknife detachment will have a full-time police officer dedicated to community policing and programs, RCMP Supt. Pat McCloskey said at a Community Wellness Coalition meeting on Tuesday.

Arlene Hache has been critical of the coalition, but attended the Tuesday meeting

Const. Kerri Riehl will manage several new programs the police are introducing this year. Riehl will oversee a full-time (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) D.A.R.E. program, coming to all Yellowknife schools next month.

Riehl will also coordinate and attend a parent discussion group and an anti-bullying program in schools.

Community involvement

Also new: Yellowknife's commanding officer Insp. Paul Richards will launch a community consultation group. He will meet with 25 to 30 representatives from the community on a monthly basis to discuss what they want from the police.

Another upcoming program aims to get First Nations youth involved in community events and programs. They will try and help organize events that First Nations youth are interested in. For instance, the police could help arrange transportation to hockey games or help get equipment. "It's about ensuring the young people aren't just left hanging around, that they have things to do."

McCloskey said two members of the Rotary Club have inquired about organizing a citizens-on-patrol program. Richards and Riehl will meet with them to help develop the program, which involves citizens patrolling the community and reporting problems to police.

"We call it the eyes and ears of the community," said McCloskey.

He also announced that the territorial Department of Justice has approved 2.5 new positions this year and the RCMP are requesting 9.5 new positions in the next fiscal year.

Glen Rutland, spokesman for the Department of Justice, said the positions will provide relief when officers are away from their detachments in five communities with two-person detachments and 14 communities without police officers.

McCloskey said when the officers aren't providing relief, they'll work from Yellowknife and Inuvik. The RCMP is also shuffling around existing workers to provide a relief unit from Yellowknife.

The coalition's co-chairs Lea Martin and Const. Dino Norris, are also developing a proposal for an alternative to the drunk tank, similar to the transfer station in Anchorage Alaska where intoxicated people are kept, monitored and given breath tests to check if they are dangerously intoxicated.

This could be done in cooperation with services already available, such as the Salvation Army and doesn't have to cost an enormous amount of money, said McCloskey.

The draft proposal for the transfer station will be presented at the group's October meeting.

Arlene Hache, executive director of the Centre for Northern Families, has been critical of the Yellowknife Community Wellness Coalition, but attended Tuesday's meeting.

Hache said the women's shelter and Salvation Army already function as transfer stations. She wanted to know if these groups will have input into developing the proposal -- something Martin agreed to.

Later, Hache explained to Yellowknifer why she attended the meeting. "I will participate in this coalition because I've learned from harsh experience that if you don't, you lose out."

"I'll try and be as supportive as I can."

She said if she hadn't gone to the meeting, the transfer station proposal would have excluded her.

"I'm glad I was there because now I can participate in the proposal that affects the services we do."

She's involved with three coalitions, she pointed out. "It's a lot for someone who does the level of work I do... So I need to pray that no other coalition forms."