Victims of crime could see some special attention to help them deal with the stress of their misfortune if a coalition of local groups get what they want, Fort Frances OPP S/Sgt. Hugh Dennis said in a verbal police services activity report to town council Monday night.
“I’ve been talking to the UNFC, Family and Children Services, the Community Policing Committee, and DSSAB about starting up a new victims services support organization,” he told council.
“We’ve sent a proposal forward to the Ministry of the Attorney General [Victim Services division],” he added. “I’m optimistic about it, and hope to hear something in the near future.”
If the application is successful, the program would receive funding from the ministry to hire people specialized in assisting those in need of comfort after a crime—a duty currently performed by OPP officers.
“For instance, if a garden of an elderly resident was vandalized, or there was a break and enter, victim services would talk to the resident, and comfort them,” said S/Sgt. Dennis.
But he noted the service does not, for instance, go to the extent of sheltering victims of battery—a duty of the Atikokan Crisis Centre.
The program not only would ensure victims of crime are attended to psychologically, but that officers have time freed up to attend to their other duties.
S/Sgt. Dennis also gave council a brief summary of some police activity numbers for the year-to-date, as of July 31.
There have been 20,052 hours of service to date, as opposed to 18,485 in 2002. This is not necessarily due to more incidents, but also to the fact the force now has a full complement of 18.42 officers, he noted.
He added there has been far less overtime this year, too, as extremely time-intensive cases and crises situations—like murders and natural disasters—thankfully have been non-existent so far in 2003.
There have been 104 parking tickets issued, as opposed to 140 at this time last year, while there were 143 offences under the Liquor Licence Act compared to 149 last year.
While there haves been 160 charges laid under the Criminal Code (as opposed to 180 at this time last year), S/Sgt. Dennis noted the number of incidents actually is greater so far this year—2,337 as opposed to 2,182.
He stressed police responses to incidents don’t necessarily result in charges, citing examples like reports of missing persons.
There also has been half the number of Narcotic Control Act investigations, with 14 so far this year, compared to 28 in 2002.
S/Sgt. Dennis added the Drug Abuse Resistance Educatiuon (D.A.R.E.) program is “alive and well” in local schools, with four more officers expected to undergo training to teach the program early this winter.
In other news at Monday night’s meeting, council:
•referred the matter of a financial contribution to Nibinamik First Nation (Summer Beaver) to the Administration and Finance executive committee for a recommendation;
•referred a request for the town to make available VISA and/or Mastercard as a means of payments to town accounts to the Administration and Finance executive committee for a recommendation;
•referred a concern brought forward by Coun. Dave Bourgeault regarding the crosswalk on the highway at McDonald’s Restaurant to the Fort Frances OPP;
•approved a report from Doug Brown, manager of Operations and Facilities, to ensure a contract is in place with KGS Group for engineering services for the next three years, and that KGS Group only be authorized to complete the evaluation report for the groundwater well at the terminal building at the Fort Frances Airport;
•agreed to purchase a silver sponsor package from the Borderland Thunder in the amount of $1,500 (this is financed as a council public relations expense);
•voted in favour of the 2003 Town of Fort Frances Accessibility Plan;
•agreed to renew an agreement for membership in the Northern Service Alliance, with services from the Municipal Tax Equity Consultants, for the annual fee of $1,000;
•authorized Canadian Tire to complete the necessary work (connections to municipal services such as storm, sanitary, and surface features) on the town’s right-of-way in order to ensure the civil works are competed in a timely fashion (these are to be done at the company’s cost);
•awarded Moncrief Construction Ltd. the work to install guidance signs on airport property prior to freeze-up (the cost of this is to fall within a 100 percent funded Airports Capital Assistance Program grant);
•authorized the acceptance of a further reduction in insurance renewal rates from SunLife;
•agreed to support the Ontario Sunset Country Travel Association in its application to the Destination Marketing Partnership Fund to promote tourism throughout the region;
•agreed to support a request from the Corporation of the Township of Wilmot for support of their resolution regarding concerns about increasing insurance premiums and gas prices;
•passed a bylaw to authorize the entering into of a lease amendment with Walter Seis at the Fort Frances Municipal Airport; and
•agreed to proclaim Oct. 20-26, 2003 as “Waste Reduction Week” as per the request from the Waste Reduction Week in Canada group.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
