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Blue Ribbon Panel in Williams Lake today

The provincial government's Blue Ribbon Committee on Crime Reduction will visit Williams Lake community leaders today.

The provincial government's Blue Ribbon Committee on Crime Reduction will visit Williams Lake Thursday with four questions for community leaders.

"They will be asking what are the crime issues in our community and how are they being tackled? What is working well to reduce crime? What are the challenges and opportunities? What can we do to reduce crime further?" Mayor Kerry Cook said Tuesday.

To answer those questions, the city has co-ordinated a presentation from community partners including representatives from School District 27, Thompson Rivers University, the RCMP, community policing, First Nations and Communities that Care, Cook said.

"We have been given a three-hour time slot."

Locals will tell the panel what's been done to reduce crime since 2008 — the initiatives, challenges and plans for the future, Cook added.

"With the four questions, the committee wants to have some consistency as it goes from community to community."

The meeting will take place at the Pioneer Complex in the afternoon.

The committee has dedicated a day and a half to visit Williams Lake, Cook said.

All of the information compiled by the committee will be forwarded in a report to Minister of Justice, Suzanne Anton and to government.

"It goes back to what I've been saying since 2008, crime isn't an RCMP problem it's a community issue," Cook said. "It's exciting government is taking a look at the need for cross-ministry collaboration in addressing crime."