Latest news with #communitypolicing
CBC
17-07-2025
- CBC
New community policing centre opening at Gastown-Hastings Crossing
A long-awaited community policing station has opened in Vancouver's Gastown. The move comes amid a crackdown on organized crime in the area. As Meera Bains reports, some hope the extra services mean a more compassionate approach to public safety.
The Guardian
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Police chiefs call for cuts to number of forces in England and Wales
Police chiefs in England and Wales have told ministers that the number of forces should be cut to end 'the postcode lottery for victims of crime', the Guardian has learned. They believe a reduction from the current 43 forces would save money, cut overheads and boost crime-fighting efforts. Law enforcement leaders told the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, last month at a roundtable on police reform that they were in agreement about the need for the change. Cooper has already backed other police reforms, such as setting up a national centre for policing, and believes the way policing across England and Wales is organised is out of date. But a lack of money threatens to delay changes and some smaller forces may oppose the changes. One source said any changes could start with smaller forces merging or being abolished. In the west, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire could merge. In the Midlands, Warwickshire could join with the West Mercia force or be absorbed by the much bigger West Midlands force. In the east, the Norfolk and Suffolk forces could merge. The West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and the South Yorkshire forces could also merge. Gavin Stephens, the chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council, told the Guardian: 'Police reform is about restructuring policing so that it can keep up with modern criminality, retaining the bedrock of community policing whilst modernising our workforce to deal with national threats such as organised crime and violence against women and girls. 'Our current model of 43 different police forces in England and Wales has a wide range of geographical size, workforce size and operational capabilities. There is also real variation in financial resilience and the ability to invest, which means policing operates in subtly different ways with often incompatible technology, which leads to inefficiencies and inconsistency. 'A smaller number of police forces, supported by a national policing organisation, would enable us to make decisions far quicker and maximise funding to invest in technology and our workforce. Making improvements to our service once and for all, instead of in 43 different ways, would help to end the postcode lottery victims face when reporting crime.' One senior source said: 'Everyone is in agreement we need fewer forces. It would create efficiencies and greater effectiveness.' Another source with knowledge of discussions said: 'Chiefs of smaller forces are nervous but accept this is where the tide is going. We hope for a phased reduction over the next decade.' No changes are expected to happen in this parliament, and any change of government after the next election could lead to the agreement to abolish police forces being scuppered. Politically, it was believed a reduction in the number of forces would have to happen under Labour. MPs representing Conservative areas, which tend to be less urban, feared police would move from more rural areas to areas where crime tended to be higher. One chief constable said that if their force absorbed a smaller force, people in more rural areas could be offered a guarantee about how many officers would be ringfenced to protect them. As yet, no detailed plans have been drawn up or presented to the government, but Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan police commissioner, said he favoured a reduction to as few as 12 forces. It is understood that this is the number of forces senior police chiefs think should ultimately cover England and Wales. In a piece for the Sunday Times, Rowley said: 'The 43-force model was designed in the 1960s and hasn't been fit for purpose for at least two decades. It hinders the effective confrontation of today's threats and stops us fully reaping the benefits of technology. 'We need to reduce the number of forces by two-thirds, with the new, bigger and fully capable regional forces supported by the best of modern technology and making better use of the limited funding available.' In Scotland, forces have already merged into one organisation covering the entire country, which is the second largest in the UK behind the Met. Northern Ireland is also covered by a single force.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Special holiday dishes provide another meaningful way for these Detroiters to serve others
If side dishes can be called the unsung heroes of any holiday meal, it can also be said that the family members and friends that taste Allison Walker's first attempt at making potato salad during this Fourth of July holiday weekend will be receiving a treat from a native Detroiter who is known for her heroic and giving heart. A 1979 graduate of the former Dominican High School — an educational institution on Detroit's east side that was deeply rooted in a tradition of service — Walker would go on to become a sergeant with the Detroit Police Department. Walker's 17-and-a-half-year journey with DPD included serving as the commanding officer for the Detroit Police Athletic League during the later stages of her law enforcement career. Walker describes her service to Detroit PAL as "community policing at its finest" because it closely connected her to the Detroit community she loves, as she watched young people "bloom" while learning new skills. However, Walker would have another experience during her career with DPD that was the furthest thing from joyful, when she was diagnosed with Heerfordt-Waldenstrom syndrome, a rare manifestation of sarcoidosis, which can present itself as a fever, facial paralysis, inflammation of part of the eye, and enlarged parotid glands — the salivary glands in front of each ear. But true to her giving and service nature, Walker would respond to her health challenge by coming together in 2009 with her fellow New Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church member, the late Amy Thompson-Turner, to found the Caring Hands Sarcoidosis Foundation, which provides "patient advocacy, educational materials, and self empowerment" for people suffering with sarcoidosis. And with caring and loving hands, beginning Tuesday, July 1, Walker embarked on a new journey to prepare a special batch of potato salad for her loved ones to enjoy with their holiday feasts this weekend. In doing so, Walker was connecting with someone who taught her to help others and also how to be brave when confronted with adversity. That person is Walker's late mother, Helen Jean Hart Walker. "While chopping the ingredients and remembering my mother in the kitchen during the holidays making her famous potato salad, waves of wonderful memories washed over me," explained Walker, who in the absence of her mother's instructions turned to a recipe she found online for "Dee Dee's Soul Food Potato Salad," billed as a "cookout worthy recipe," which Walker discovered at On the morning of July 2, Walker reported that her oldest daughter Jessica was already delivering a bowl of the potato salad to a friend and that a good-size portion was in her freezer for her son Christopher to enjoy over the weekend. "I'm not sure if it's supposed to be frozen, but nothing beats a try than a try, and I'll be nibbling on the rest," Walker, who received an enormous helping hand in the kitchen from her grandson, Joshua Sidney Chapman, said. "Memories of my mother making potato salad for holidays were precious moments that I had long forgotten about, and I am thankful for the opportunity to relive them again while doing something nice for family and friends." On the afternoon of July 3, a thankful tone also could be heard in the voice of Temika Wallace, the kitchen manager at St. Patrick Senior Center (Detroit's largest health, wellness and activities center for older adults, located at 58 Parsons, off Woodward behind Orchestra Hall), which has a well-earned reputation for serving some of the heartiest lunches in the city. For Wallace, a week with a summer holiday provides an opportunity for her to feed seniors at St. Pat's, as well as family and friends, during the holiday weekend, in an extra-special way that she believes is more than worth the extra effort that is required to pull off the feat. "I love working at St. Pat and making our seniors happy and full, and I feel the same way about the food that I will be preparing for my family and friends for the holiday," said Wallace, a longtime Midtown resident, who will be making her famous seafood pasta salad this holiday weekend to accompany ribs and chicken cooked on the grill. "I make my seafood pasta salad from scratch, and I make it with my own ingredients. And it's just good to see everyone when they're enjoying it and wanting more." Lisa Gonzalez has a knack for doing more and more for southwest Detroit residents of all ages through three community organizations that she supports: Congress of Communities, a resident-led organizing and advocacy agency that facilitates solutions addressing community needs and concerns; Detroit Champions of Hope, which champions the importance of early childhood care while stressing the importance of parents, caregivers and child care providers as a child's first teachers, and the Mexican Patriotic Committee of Metro Detroit, which promotes Mexican arts and cultural activities, including the Miss Mexico Pageant, an event that symbolizes an ongoing commitment to empowering young women in the community. With everything Gonzalez has going on, after a long day of activities and meetings, during the evening of July 1, Gonzalez was still excited to talk about foods that will be enjoyed in her community over the holiday weekend. The word "yummy" was repeated constantly by Gonzalez as she described carne asada, a traditional Mexican dish composed of marinated skirt steak or flank steak that has been grilled and thinly sliced. But after all the grilled food is eaten, Gonzalez says there is another far more simple dish that she will be looking forward to that members of any any community can whip up, and that is Fresas con Crema — strawberries and cream. Gonzalez likes to make the dish using Cool Whip with blueberries on top,. But more than that, she says, the presence of food favorites during a holiday or anytime is a sure sign that good things are going on in a community. More: Sip and savor: Discover 10 perfect Michigan beer and food pairings "In our community, we enjoy our food," Gonzalez said with a spark in her voice, even after participating in a late community meeting minutes before. "Even if it's just chips and salsa, or fruit; whenever we come together for anything, we'll have food. It's one of our favorite things to do. It's a source of joy and unity." More: Forgotten Harvest CEO: 'Big, beautiful bill' would leave food banks overwhelmed | Opinion Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and a lifelong lover of Detroit culture in its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the city's neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at stalley@ or follow him on Twitter @STalleyfreep. Read more of Scott's stories at Please help us grow great community-focused journalism by becoming a subscriber. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Making a holiday dish is another way these Detroiters do a good deed
CBC
03-07-2025
- CBC
Inside the police unit designed to reduce tensions in some parts of Montreal
In response to rising crime rates and issues with coexistence in places like Montreal's Village neighbourhood, an SPVM pilot project has begun sending out specialized patrols focused on non-confrontational approaches to improving relationships and preventing crime.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Paperwork will not bog down new PCs, vows officer
New community police officers in Suffolk would not get "bogged down" with paperwork, an inspector vowed. The county's police force was allocated £1.8m to fund an extra 26 constables on the beat. Insp Tim Scott invited residents to lead their local policing agenda by raising concerns with officers. It came as Suffolk Police Federation chairman Darren Harris warned the new hires were a "sticking plaster" solution to retention issues faced by the force. The money was awarded as part of a government drive for more visible policing, with a pot of £200m being dished out nationally. In the Suffolk town of Newmarket, it would help to pay for two more community police officers, bringing its total up to five. Management at the Guineas Shopping Centre had called for more patrols due to "persistent shoplifting and aggression" faced by tenants. Natalie Robinson, from Love Newmarket BID, welcomed the pending arrival of new officers. "Seeing police officers on the ground, going into those businesses and talking about issues does make a real impact," she added. Some of the community-based officers will be new recruits, while others will be redeployed from elsewhere in the force. Insp Scott said they would be "specifically ring-fenced for highly visible policing" and therefore freed up from paperwork. "They're not bogged down, they've got the time to proactively get out into the community," he insisted. However, Mr Harris remained cautious about wider issues faced by the force. "Where are these officers going to come from, because we're short of numbers as it is?," he asked. "Retention of existing officers is something the federation is continually highlighting and officers leaving the profession is a serious concern." He welcomed the investment but warned: "I feel like they're just sticking a plaster on a gaping wound." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. 'Could an illegal e-bike kill someone? Absolutely' Investment fraud cost county £5m in 2024 - police Police U-turn on retaining community officers Suffolk Constabulary
