Duane Hicks
The new Rainy River District OPP detachment commander said fiscal responsibility and being able to effectively manage resources to minimize costs are a high priority for him.
The big issue right now in the district, and across the province, is the cost of policing, Insp. Steve Shouldice said in an interview Monday at the Fort Frances detachment.
He officially became the new detachment commander April 30.
“The plan is to do whatever we can do, and we’ve been doing this for years through proper fiscal management, resource management both equipment and personnel, to maximize the work that we get done utilizing minimal resources, trying to keep the costs as low as possible,” he explained.
“We’ve been very successful at that,” Insp. Shouldice added. “I report to the Police Services Board on a regular basis, explaining overtime use, regular hours of use—there’s a lot of processes we have internally that make sure that everything we’re doing is efficient.
“There’s no frivolous use of overtime and resources—we’re very careful about all of our expenditures,” he stressed.
“We’re cognizant of the environment in the district, the economic issues, the job issues, and we’re going to do our part as a public agency to keep our costs at a minimum locally.”
Insp. Shouldice noted the police costing formula was updated last year from 2003 to 2008, meaning Ontario municipalities have had to absorb five years’ worth of inflation and cost increases all at once.
“I think going forward, the OPP plans to update that formula more often so that the increments aren’t so huge and so difficult to absorb,” he remarked.
Drug enforcement and education also will continue to be a high priority here in Rainy River District, said Insp. Shouldice, adding the Community Drug Action Team has been particularly successful.
He noted whenever the communities or schools are canvassed about what they think is an important issue here, they always say drugs.
“I want to enhance the CDAT position, provide that person with a mentoring partner, and then going forward, maybe looking at a second full-time officer in there,” said Insp. Shouldice.
Another high priority is enhancing external communication with municipal councils, Police Services Boards, media, stakeholders, and partners.
“We want to be sure we’re providing enough information, or appropriate information, so that we’re all engaged together,” he remarked.
“Our ultimate goal is public safety and all these groups are working in that direction.”
The OPP also relies on community members to prevent, react to, and resolve public safety issues. In fact, most crimes here are solved through the public’s assistance.
“Either a witness saw something or an informant has come forward with a tip about something,” Insp. Shouldice said.
“We rely heavily on the public to provide us with information.
“We’re not clairvoyant,” he stressed. “It’s not a mystery how we solve things—we solve things because the public helps us.”
Insp. Shouldice said employee engagement also is a priority. This includes instilling pride in officers, maintaining morale, ensuring a healthy work environment, creating enthusiasm for the job and getting results, and promoting the OPP as a potential employer.
He said his philosophy is: “I am a member of the community, as well as being a police officer. They are mutually inclusive.”
In other words, when he has to make any decision, he thinks about what it means from a policing standpoint but also what it means as a member of the community.
Insp. Shouldice began his career in Lancaster, Ont., serving there for 10 years.
He was promoted to sergeant and transferred to Fort Frances in 1998, then was promoted to staff sergeant in 2007.
He has been here 14 years.
Insp. Shouldice replaced Insp. John Kendrick, who accepted an inspector position with Thunder Bay OPP Regional Command.
