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Ladysmith Community Policing |
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Celebrating 10 Years of Community Policing
mySeniorSite Staff
The
Ladysmith Community Policing Station celebrated its 10th anniversary on May 14, 2007.
Located at the Coronation Square Mall in Ladysmith,
the station has been the mainstay of community
policing in Ladysmith since RCMP Detachment
Commander Sergeant Tom Armet opened the station
during Police Week on May 15, 1997.
A Bit of History
The
need for a community policing station in the growing
town of Ladysmith came about in late 1996 for two
reasons.
That
summer, the Bank of Montreal in the Coronation Mall
was robbed at gun point by a traveling criminal who
had recently been released on parole. RCMP members
quickly located and arrested the suspect as he and
his girlfriend fled towards Nanaimo in their
vehicle.
The
robbery shook this quiet community and illustrated
the vulnerability of businesses along the
Trans-Canada Highway to crime. Enhancing the police
visibility in the area became a priority.
The
community of Ladysmith had numerous volunteer
programs in effect such as Citizens on Patrol, Block
Watch and Crimestoppers to name a few. The programs
were being operated from various locations
independently of each other.
The
main detachment building was not adequate to support
or expand these programs and a centralized location
was needed to provide a “storefront” for the
existing and emerging community based programs to
work from.
The
task of developing a community station began in
earnest and Sergeant Armet quickly discovered there
was an abundance of support from the community,
including Mayor Hutchins and council. The owners of
the mall provided space at a nominal cost and
funding was secured from several service
organizations and levels of government.
Town
employees, RCMP members and community volunteers
pitched in to renovate the space and the office was
furnished through donations and grants. Signs
incorporating the RCMP logo and colors were designed
and prominently displayed on the Mall Marquis and on
the station, giving it a highly visible presence in
the area.
The
call then went out for volunteers to staff the
station 6 days a week and the response was
overwhelming.
A Successful 10 Years
Today the Ladysmith Community Station is a shining
example of the commitment of volunteers who are
dedicated to keeping their community safe.
The
station continues to operate 6 days a week under the
direction of a coordinator and the RCMP Commander
and is visited by thousands of people a year seeking
information, reporting crimes and meeting with
police officers in a non-threatening environment.
The
station has made it possible to operate dozens of
programs including home security inspections, Block
Watch, fraud awareness and much more. Volunteers in
their bright yellow jackets and community policing
van can be seen throughout the town at special
events, patrolling school zones and doing home
security inspections.
The Ladysmith Community Station
is located at:
Coronation Square Mall
4A-370 Trans-Canada Highway
Ladysmith, BC
(250) 245-1118
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Cutting the anniversary cake
L-R Mayor Rob Hutchins, Audrey Ballegeer, Sgt. Tom Armet (ret.) |
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Ladysmith Community Policing Station |
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Ladysmith Community Policing Van |
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