Sprague RCmP Hoping to Dissuade Residents from Arriving at Officers’ Personal Homes for Service

According Cpl. Kevin Bruce of the Sprague RCMP, in recent months several people have gone to the homes of Sprague RCMP members to seek police assistance.

Cpl. Bruce now finds it necessary to explain to everyone that they will get the best and most efficient police response by using the phone, not coming to the door.

There are telecoms/911 operators ready to take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week he explained adding that they are trained to gather the necessary information in great detail, and very quickly. Following a 911 call, the operators are trained to dispatch the gathered information to the closest on duty police officers over the police radio so they can all hear the call. He says this is especially helpful if it’s a serious call so multiple units can get rolling. The operators even send the location of the calls straight to the map the officers have on their in-car computers! Cpl. Bruce explained that prior to an officer starting their shifts, they need to gather and load up all of the equipment that they require to respond to a call. This can be a very lengthy process. They have several items on their duty belts to load. Such as: their service pistol, magazines, pepper spray, extendable baton, taser, portable radio and hand cuffs. They also need to load and secure other important equipment into their police vehicles. Such as, additional firearms, body armour, approved screening devices and their duty bags. The duty bags contain several important items including the relevant paperwork they may require on a call, bug spray, exhibit bags, and personal protective equipment that they must carry with them at all times.

“If there is no police officer at the detachment, you will get a better and faster response by phoning as opposed to attending one of their homes,” Cpl. Bruce noted in a statement. “If you come to my home in the middle of the night, I would have to find my pants, a pen and paper and ask you a bunch of questions to gather the required information. I would have to find my keys, go to the detachment and put on my uniform. I would have to go to the secure room and load up everything that I need.” I would need to conduct a pre-patrol inspection of my vehicle, and log in with telecoms over the police radio. There is also the high likelihood that I simply wouldn’t be available.”

In considering the above, and in order to provide the RM of Piney with the fastest and most efficient police response possible, Cpl. Bruce has asked that all RCMP members working out of the Sprague office direct any person who attends their home, to call one the numbers below.

For all non-emergency matters including Criminal Record Checks, contact the Sprague RCMP Detachment at 204-437-2041. Should you require immediate Police assistance, call 204-437-2222 or 911 in the case of an emergency.

According to Sandulak at the current location there isn’t enough room to work with a team, and the pantry shelving doesn’t hold the quantity of food needed for 48 hampers. Volunteers were spending a growing number of hours and energy to repacking and stocking at the same time. Storage space was a concern along with a staircase that created accessibility issues. The layout and shortage of space was not the only concerns as connection to community members was being squeezed out.

“Our top concern is the loss of personal connection with our patrons,” she explained. “At Niverville Helping Hands, we seek to not only fulfill a tangible need, but to also offer support, encouragement, and build relationships with our patrons.”

She added that many of the clients are hungry for connection and they tend to linger and visit if given the chance. This part of their “community connection” was suffering as limited space with the growing number of clients resulted in the basic services of handing out food and shuffling people out the door.

The new space will allow them to revamp the model from one of packing hampers, to a grocery shopping style set up, where patrons will come and “shop” for their hampers. While clients will still be able to call or apply online, they will now also be able to choose a “shopping timeslot” that suits their schedule involving increased hours of operation.

“This shopping model also gives dignity to our clients, allowing them to choose things for their family’s preferences while also freeing up volunteer hours to be spent with clients instead of packing hampers,” added Sandulak.

The new location is the first step in growing the organization beyond food, and to offer other services such as employment resources and computer stations, a shuttle service for medical appointments, counselling, and things of that nature.

Finally, Sandulak wants to remind the community that their organization is 100% supported by donations from local residents and businesses. Financial donations can be sent by E-transfer to info@nivervillehelpinghands.org or cheques can be made out to Niverville Helping Hands and mailed to Box 1201 Niverville, MB R0A 1E0. Non-perishable food donations (nothing expired or homemade, please) can be left at their donation bin inside Niverville Bigway, or arranged to be dropped off at their pantry.