By DAVID TAYLOR POLICING A city no longer just means arresting the bad Buys. Over the years, the role of the RCMP in Terrace has changed with the city. Today's focus on com- munity policing means more public involvement, self as- sessment and partnerships within the community. One of the more important additions to the Terrace detachment in recent years has been the introduction of the Victim's Assistance Pro- gram. ‘A fot of times, people just need to be listened to. They need someone they can talk with and share their fears with. They don’t necessarily need counselling.”’ Jan Lefrancois- The program started up in late 1988 and every year it his helped hundreds of people who have been the victims of some form of trauma, ‘Today it is staffed by a VICTIM'S ASSISTANCE coordinator Jan Lefrancois sits on a comfortable couch In the “soft" Interview room at an ry waite me The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, April 23, 1997 - AS Policing changes in the 90 is full-time coordinator, a part- the Terrace RCMP delatchment. The room is a relaxing place where victims of crime or other trauma can dis- time assistant and about ten CUSs their feelings with trained local volunteers. There are even toys for children. volunteers, all of whom are ready to lend an ear to those in distress. . **We provide emotional support for victims of trauma," says coordinator Jin Lefrancois. ‘“‘And not just those affected by crime. We alsa accompany police when doing next-of-kin no- tification, talk to accident victims and help those who have been the first to respond at an accident scene,”” Lefrancois points out that traffic accidents can be very traumatic, not just for vic- tims, but also for those who may have tried to help out, only to have the victim die. Cops ready THERE’LL SOON be two more gumshoes walking the streets of our city. Terrace RCMP have fin- ished their operational plan- ning for 1997, and putting _two exira plainclothes of- ficers‘on the streets is one of their objectives. Those officers are sel to , target bootleggers, illegal sales of liquor to minors, break-and-enters, theft of and from vehicles and street fevel narcotics, _ “These are all areas of concern to us and the com- munity,” says Inspector Steve Leach of the Terrace _ Detachment, ‘‘The patrols will focus on those prob- Iems,”” ‘The new enforcement will come from already existing uniformed members of the Terrace police force. Leach “A lot of times, people just need to be listened to. They need someone they can talk with and share their fears - with,’ Lefranccis says. ‘They don’t neces- sarily need counselling.” However if a victim docs need professional help, Vic- tim’s Assistance can pro- vide referrals to counselors. They can also provide in- formation about the status of investigations, explain the types of resources available to victims and help: walk them through the justice system — something thal can be quite daunting to the uninitiated. says uniformed officers will be rotated through the patrol so everyone has a tum at plainclothes duty. The cops are also going to get out of their cars and hit the streets. Leach says an- other of this year’s goals is Lefrancois says the pro- gram helps about 450 people every year, some of whom just necd one-time support and athers who need extra help. “*We’re here to provide an initial cushion,” Lefrancois says. ‘But sometimes it will carry on fora longer period with people who don’t want to discuss personal matters with anyone else.” Victim’s Assistance can also help those who haven’t yet gone to the police with their. problems. Volunteers let the victim know what to expect from the police and give them any required in- formation. And although they work closely with the RCMP, ihey are a separate group. ‘*We aren’t the police,” Lefrancois says. ‘We don’t want to look intimidating to anyone.” To help victims feel safe, there’s a soft interview room, complete with comfy couches and Teddy bears for children. The idea is to pro- vide a non-threatening at- mosphere to help people telax. Lefrancois says the ‘volunteers who help out with the program are also very understanding and ‘o walk the “That’s pretty hard to do when you’re in a patrol car’? Police are also planning to do more road checks this year. Road-side inspections for drinking drivers are cur- rently seasonal, occurring ‘When we talked to the community, they said they'd like the police to be more approachable. That’s pretty hard to do when you're in a patrol car.’ -Inspector Steve Leach- to increase police visibility in the community by having more frequent foot and bicycle patrols, ‘When we talked to the community, they said they’d like the police to be more approachable,’’ Leach says. with holidays like Christ- mas. However, Leach says. he would like to see the pro- gtam expanded. “We want to have road- checks done on a monthly basis,’’ he says. ‘To help discourage drinking and driving.’* Leach points out that ast year’s initiatives were large- ly successful, RCMP targeted dangerous drivers by increasing enfor- cement at crosswalks, resulting in 208 charges and 190 wamings. Police also set up speed- traps in three high-speed areas and school zones, which resulted in 40 charges and 76 warnings. A concerted effort to target drug pushers in the city also resulted in charges against 20 individuals. And dealers are going to te looking over their shoulders even more this year now that the detach- ment is slated to be getting another drug enforcement officer. caring. **We've had a really good response from the com- mounity,”” she says, ‘Every year the group seems to get better and better.” This year’s group of volunicers will be picked from the more than 20 people who applied by the March 31 deadline to help out with the program, “Tt was great to see that kind of community sup- port,’’ says Lefrancois. Volunteer taining will take place through 10 the end of April. The Termace Victim’s As- sistance Program can be reached at 638-741 1. beat Steve Leach That will effectively dou- ble the number of cops in Terrace devoted to the war on drugs. “Tt’s gaod news both for us and the community,” Leach says. ‘*‘We really needed that extra officer to have cffective enforce- ment.” Crimestoppers turns two Community tips help catch crooks: Qa” CRIMESTOPPERS celebrated its second birthday in Terrace last month. But so far the terrible twos are looking pretty good for the community-based police program. Last year actually proved to be more suc- cessful for Crimestoppers than it’s in- augural season. And a possible expansion of the program could Icad to even more ar- rests in 1997, In 1996, Crimestoppers recived 115 tips. That's up from 95 the previous year, Those tips resulted in a total of 11 arrests — also up from six in 1995, The number of cases cleared has in- creased as well, from 15 in 95 to 25 in '96. Those cases included three robberies, one assault, cight break-and-enters, 11 posses- sion of stolen properties, two drug cases and two warrants for arrest. Some $6,700 in stolen property was recovered from the cleared cases. That fig- ure is up considerably. In 1995, just $3,900 worth of property was recovered, Crimestoppers: ig a community-based residents for calling in tips to the RCMP about criminal activity. If the tip leads to an cops. arrest and criminal charges, the caller can get a cash reward of up to $1,000 from the Seven rewards totalling $1,250 were handed out to tipsters last year. To ensure confidentiality, callers do not have to reveal their identity and they are not required to testify in court, Inspector Steve Leach of Terrace RCMP says the program has proven very success- ful and may even be expanded, “I'm very pleased with it,” he says. “Like every new program, it had slow start. But I think we’ll see more and more people use the program as the word gets out”’ Leach also says the RCMP are looking at possibly expanding Crimestoppers to in- clude a mugshot program. wanted. crime prevention program which rewards That would involve publishing mugshots of wanted criminals in the newspaper. Citizens could then call Crimestoppers and tell police where to find Terrace’s most CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD The Mail Bag Gov't is killing tourism Dear Sir; What is the Clark government trying to do to this province? Raising the fishing fees for out of province fishermen is the same as taking food off the tables of people who live in B.C. By raising the fees, Mr, Clark has taken away a lot of the tourist trade. It is not only the fishing lodges that are going to suffer, it is the whole community. Actually, it is the whole province. The airlines will lose a lot of business as well as hotels in Vancouver where a lot of the Europeans overnight. Car rentals, restaurants, clothing stores, tackle shops all depend on the tourist trade for a lot of our income to the province, Is the government trying to getrid of tourists? The lodges in Terrace have already started to get can- cellations from Germany. These people will take their business to Alaska. In other words, Mr. Clark is setting up the American fishing lodges and letting our own fishing lodges go down the tube. Not only has Mr. Clark raised the fishing licences, he has also raised the guiding licences. If you paid $250 last year, you will now pay $2,500 to have a guiding li- cense. Does this seem fair to you? "Ts it fair that our senior citizens should pay over $40 to go fishing when last year it cost them $16 and some- thing? How about the people on low incomes who now have to pay $69.55 for a license? These people are fish- ing for food for their families. Is it fair to take food from the tables of these people? The local merchants will lose a lot of money if the Europeans stop coming to Terrace. What the govern- ment is doing is causing hardships to everyone here. If ihe stores do not do the amount of business they usual- ly do, they will have to lay off staff. Mr. Giesbrecht suggested that the fishing lodges dis- close a financial statement. Maybe you would like to have a financial statement from all the businesses in Terrace and compare it with last year’s statement and see just how much money your own community has lost thanks to the NDP. You are selling out your own community, Mr. Gies- brecht. How can you face your neighbours and whatever friends you may bave left after this last stunt your party has pulled? Why don’t you make your financial statement public and let the people in your community see just how much money you are making off of them. Claudette Grosset, Terrace B.C. Truly empowering Dear Sir: I'll bet the heart of every taxpayer who saw it was warmed by the photo of the women’s conference work- shop participant playing happily with her ‘‘empower- ment’’ dolly, (Terrace Standard, March 12) However, I think the next time the feminists have one of their government funded get-togethers they should play with Tonka tnicks instead. I wouldn’t want them to become victims of gender stereotyping. Lydia Piper, Terrace, B.C. Equal opportunity An open letter to Premier Gien Clark: I am writing this letter to express my concerns about some of the projected ideas and recommendations from the women in forestry initiative. I think focusing on gender is wrong, and goes against the principals of equal opportunity for everyone. I work in the forest industry and have for the past 10 years. I worked very hard and sacrificed a lot to pul myself through technical training, I’ve ralsed a family and: managed to still keep working in a field that I have chosen on my own accord. When I moved to Terrace, as a single mother, I was “in the system” as well, | had help in obtaining six weeks of computer training but in no way was it to choose a career, nor did I go back into the system. The system works only if it is not abused, I think before training is taken, that an individual has to be quite sure of what they want to do, not just now but on a long term basis. And this is especially so when you are spending your own hard-earned dollars. Tam concemed when aid is given to those who do not know what career choices they are aiming for and or will stick with, especially if it is handed to them on a silver platter. Maybe a payback system like a student loan in required to make sure the funds are there for all to use and they are not being taken advantage of. I do not feel that women are any less capable than anyone else and for funds to become available just so that we can fit in is extremely demeaning. Self motiva- tion is the key to a good cmployee and that can only come from that individual whether it be a woman, a man or a young adult. I feel that equal opportunity is the key to success and personal satisfaction. Northwest Community College in Terrace offers a two-ycar natural resources program. Correct me ifT am mistaken, but I do believe you can only access this pro- gram if you are collecting employment benefits, as all the seats have been bought with government funding. Maybe your focus should be on creating more educa- tion opportunities in the community to benefit every- one and not only the selected few. I ask myself when my daughter graduates from school — will there be an opportunity for her to attend the local college or will she have to go out of town to further her education because she has earned enough money to pay for it? ; Women are just as capable as any other person in making a choice as to where they want their career to take them. All women in Terrace are linked in same way to the forest industry, whether it be a house wife, secretary, truck driver or a forestry technician. No one career is more important than the other and we should not be focusing on what area is more gender dominated. But, instead offering more education op- portunities for everyone on our community, Jo-Anne Gale, Terrace, B.C, The Terrace Standard welcomes fet. ters to the editor. Our mailing address is 3210 Clinton St, Terrace, B.C., V8G 5R2. You can also fax us at 250-638- 8432. And you can e-mail us at standard@kermode.net a ee ee a a ee a ee a a ae ee ee ee a