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Williams Lake community policing, restorative justice volunteers endure despite pandemic restrictions

Representatives from both groups gave an update during the committee of the whole meeting
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Community policing volunteers continue to work behind the scenes in Williams Lake. In 2021 they did 29 evening patrols evenings and 3,944 vehicle checks. (Monica Lamb-Yorski file photo - Williams Lake Tribune)

While many events were cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions in 2021, community policing and restorative justice volunteers have been working quietly behind the scenes in Williams Lake.

“We have hard core base of about 18 volunteers,” said Ric Northcott who volunteers with Citizens on Patrol when he appeared at the city council committee of the whole meeting Tuesday, Feb. 15.

Outlining tasks volunteers carried out in 2021, he said they checked a total of 3,944 vehicles, did 29 patrols and amassed 362 volunteer hours.

“We used to go out doing patrols from 9 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. but now we go out a 7 p.m. and are back at 10:30 p.m., there’s not much going on these days,” Northcott said.

Northcott said community policing used to have about 50 volunteers at one time.

“We have word of mouth, put out notices, but we are coming up empty. But like I said, we’ve got our hard core group.”

With restrictions easing, Northcott added community policing is looking forward to volunteering at events again.

“We’ve missed the rodeos and the parades.”

He thanked council for its support of the program, to which Mayor Walt Cobb responded saying the city is thankful for everything the group does.

Deborah Pickering, facilitator, co-chair and trainer with Williams Lake Community Council for Restorative Justice (WLCCRJ) also appeared at the meeting.

She said in total 22 files were referred to her volunteers, of which 10 were completed, seven are still in progress and four were returned for various reasons.

Restorative justice volunteers contributed almost 1,000 hours of time.

The number of referrals dropped by about 50 per cent in 2021 due to the pandemic and to staff turnover at the RCMP and BC Prosecution Service.

WLCCRJ is developing a new memorandum of understanding with Crown and the executive plans to meet with Darren Dodge, the new officer in charge of the Williams Lake RCMP.

READ MORE: Williams Lake gets new top cop at RCMP detachment

Pickering said restorative justice would be interested in setting up a community service program with the city.

“It would mean that someone from a file would go out and do some work such as pick up garbage,” she explained.

Responding Mayor Cobb said the he thinks the city has a ‘very cooperative union’ and they might be willing to have a discussion with WLCCRJ and suggested they contact the city’s manager of human resources.

Coun. Marnie Brenner, who did a training workshop with the program, said she would like to see more education at the city level about what the program does.

There will be a free training session coming up March 11 to 13 in Williams Lake.

Anybody can take the training, Pickering said.

To find out more phone 250-392-8709 or email info@wlccrj.com.

WLCCRJ has existed in Williams Lake for 27 years with a mission to provide an alternative to the criminal justice system that is restorative rather than punitive.

Silvia Dubray, community well-being and safety co-ordinator arranged for the two groups to appear as a delegation at the COW meeting.

“I wanted to bring them forward because they do so much and during COVID we couldn’t have volunteer recognition with different things,” Dubray said. “We will be putting volunteers on our protective services page on the city’s website.”

READ MORE: Williams Lake restorative justice program holds training workshop

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Monica Lamb-Yorski

About the Author: Monica Lamb-Yorski

A B.C. gal, I was born in Alert Bay, raised in Nelson, graduated from the University of Winnipeg, and wrote my first-ever article for the Prince Rupert Daily News.
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