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More police cars for suburbs: committee

By: Bartley Kives

8/02/2010 10:14 AM | Comments: 22

A city council committee wants the Winnipeg Police Service to explore the idea of ensuring cruiser cars patrol suburban neighbourhoods, even on busy weekends when high-priority calls draw police resources to the inner city.

In January, Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt and North Kildonan Coun. Jeff Browaty made a motion on the floor of council to ask the police to examine how they can improve their presence in outlying city neighbourhoods.

Right now, cruisers are assigned to specific areas but often get called to the inner city for calls involving life-threatening situations.

Wyatt believes this increases suburban propety crime, as criminals know when the police are not present.

His motion came before city council's protection and community services committee, which voted unanimously to ask the Winnipeg Police Service to prepare a report.

Deputy chief Doug Webster told the committee the police service is willing to examine the issues raised by Wyatt.

Appearing before the committee, Wyatt said if the city can find money for a police helicopter, it can find money for more cruiser cars.

Bartley.Kives@freepress.mb.ca

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22 Commentscomment icon

Please define "community policing"

I do think the city is sprawling too much; when I watch people sitting in traffic jams on Osborne or even in traffic on Stafford in the mornings, I feel a little sorry for them, not to mention the earth.
I'd bet that the commuters face more of a medical risk from their fellow commuters, not to mention from a sedentary lifestyle encouraged by sitting in a car, than they do from criminals. But I've only glanced at the epidemiological literature, not studied it.

I think this is a good idea....but I also agree with Mike. We need cops patrolling downtown!
I lived in the North End for years and ended up moving to Tuxedo about 8 years ago.
I was more scared to walk my dog in Swindon Oaks Park after 9 p.m. then I was walking to the sev at main and bannerman.
This might have to do with the fact that someone tried to rob me (apparently it wasn't obvious all i had with me was a doggie bag?) in the park in tuxedo, and I was also drive-by shot at with a rubber bullet while walking along Portsmouth.
Not once was I bothered in the north end.

Why not get the city to hire professional security companies. Granted the security companies cannot apprehend criminals, but they could watch and report. Making things somewhat easier for the police. Oh wait that would cost money that the city does not have. Sorry for my thought.

Less cars, more police walking in North End.

Anything else is just bread and circus. Our city is being overrun by the same vocal snob minority that's ruined Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Community policing is the answer!

Chief David Cassels knew this but was run out of town by the Old-Guard at WPS.

Chief Ewatski didn't understand it either, but I have hope with Chief McCaskill!

a good idea, but only if it doesn't take them away from where they are needed most in the inner city. it would be nice if they hired more police so they wouldn't have to divert them from the inner city (and I live in one of the "outlying" areas)

I thought we'd all been told that putting criminals who commit property crimes like stealing cars and breaking into people's homes into jail was a waste of resources and we'd be better off to offer them rehabilitative programs, that we later discovered would be run by those who were telling us these things.
So why bother with expensive police, when we can just have a multitude of social workers and program makers? At least that's what my Humanist Studies leads me to wonder.

How about the Police getting out of the cars and pounding a beat, you could kill two birds with one stone, the Police would get much needed exercise and they will meet the people first hand.

Quick! Send the SWAT Team. Someone stole the flamingo off my front lawn!! Sorry ma-am! Your stabbed / shot husband has to wait! We're investigating the theft of a lawn mower in Linden Woods!!

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