PHOTO BY ARIELLE GODBOUT Enlarge Image

Resident Beverley Watson outside the police service station on St. Mary’s Road.

A Winnipeg Police Service review of its service centre on St. Mary’s Road is prompting concern among residents that the station — the only one in southeast Winnipeg — could be shut down.

St. Vital resident Beverley Watson — who ran in the recent byelection to replace Gord Steeves as city councillor — said a voter told her during the campaign the station might close.

She said a local police officer told her the same thing, though a call to the service’s headquarters only brought the answer that the police force was considering its options.

Watson said while she said she understands that other areas of Winnipeg need more resources to fight crime, that doesn’t mean services should be taken away from St. Vital and other areas "perceived as safer."

"It is a safe area, but is that because there’s a police station here?" she asked. "It’s seeing the police presence is our community that’s so important."

Watson said the St. Mary’s station is a deterrent for criminal and makes residents feel safer.

"If you take that presence away, there’s going to be a cost," she said. "Will we still be as low-crime an area?"

Police spokesperson Const. Natalie Aitken confirmed the police has been reviewing the station — along with the service station located on Henderson Highway — following workload analyses at both sites.

She said the service’s executive management team recently approved a proposal for both stations, but would not reveal whether that proposal involves closures.

Aitken said there is still a lot of work to do before any final decisions are made.

"Some of the processes that are underway will be consulting with members of city council and various other public stakeholders."

Another spokesperson explained the assessment came on the heels of changes to the Highway Traffic Act that no longer require drivers to report motor vehicle accidents to police in most cases.

"The main function of these stations is incident reporting and a large part is the accident reporting.  It is the service and city’s responsibility to ensure that the stations are efficient and effective," she said.

Island Lakes resident Brian Monkman — who served as president of the now-defunct Citizens for Crime Awareness chapter for St. Boniface and St. Vital — said his group used to operate out of the St. Mary’s station.

He said people frequently used it for reporting incidents other than car accidents, such as thefts.

"This regional office is quite busy," he said.

Monkman suggested the real reason the police service is considering closing the St. Mary’s and Henderson Highway stations is to save money — noting the cost for converting the old downtown post office facilities into a new police headquarters has already risen from $135 million to $155 million.

"Read between the lines," he said. "They’re trying to cut dollars."

— With files from Adrian Alleyne

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