The Community Cultural Focus Group held their first meeting in early October. Its goal is to address gaps, issues, and concerns that exist between law enforcement and the diverse, under-represented groups in the Fort. Photo Supplied
The Fort Saskatchewan RCMP detachment is hoping a new focus group will address gaps, concerns, and issues that exist between law enforcement and diverse and under-represented groups that call the Fort home.
Inspector Mike McCauley, the Officer in Charge of the Fort Saskatchewan RCMP, started to lay the groundwork in early October, in conjunction with the acting director of the Fort Saskatchewan Protective Services Department, Coreen Rayner, and Fort Saskatchewan Policing Committee members, and held the first Community Cultural Focus Group meeting.
The goal is for the city’s Protective Services and local RCMP to listen and learn from the experiences of our citizens. It seems to have been established now in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
“I have never experienced a stronger relationship between a city and law enforcement than I have experienced in Fort Saskatchewan. I am, however, aware that there is always room for improvement in everything we do. I recognize that different cultural groups will not be comfortable with the more traditional communication formats used by the police such as town halls,” said Insp. McCauley.
“Thanks to this focus group we now have new strategies to reach and connect with previously under-represented groups. I look forward to meeting and working with the diverse people within our community,” McCauley added.
The focus group will be comprised of representatives from various backgrounds including Indigenous, Phillipino (Clarizze Truscott), and LGBTQ2+ (Mike Green, altView executive director), as well as a Policing Committee member, a Restorative Justice representative (Gloria Brathwaite), and city councillor Jibs Abitoye (who immigrated from Nigeria). The Fort councillor was encouraged by what was said during the group’s first meeting and noted there is a need to have such a group locally.
“It’s important to have that understanding and education and a lot of great suggestions came from that first meeting … We don’t want to just talk, we want action… We want to see action being taken and I’m very happy and proud of the RCMP and what they have done so far,” Abitoye said.
“With everything that happened in the U.S. with George Floyd and Black Lives Matter, I felt it was important to have that conversation,” she explained. “I have not heard about many issues with the RCMP within Fort Saskatchewan, but there are many issues in Edmonton and the area, so it is important for us to be proactive and make sure we don’t have those issues here.”
Due to COVID-19, the Community Cultural Focus Group is unable to connect with the community through in-person events, but the intention is for it, as well as an RCMP representative, to attend those cultural community events once the pandemic is over.
The group is expected to meet virtually in the New Year.
“A lot of minority groups avoid the police so (the discussion needs to) become how do we bridge that gap and build that trust,” Abitoye noted.
