SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. — Residents had a chance to meet local RCMP members and ask questions during a Coffee with a Cop event held Oct. 8 at Urban Grounds in Swift Current.
The event brought together members of the Swift Current municipal and rural RCMP detachments in an informal setting designed to encourage conversation between police and the public.
“This is the first time we've done it in this format,” said Evan Gordon, commander of the Swift Current Municipal RCMP detachment.
“Several years ago, we partnered with the chamber of commerce for a similar event. It was more geared toward business owners and focused on issues affecting local businesses, such as fraud and theft. It was open to the public as well, but it was a little more formal than this. Today was really meant to be an informal, no-agenda, way to make ourselves available to the community.”
Gordon said the public version of the event was largely driven by front-line officers.
“This was spearheaded by a couple of our constables. Normally these kinds of things have more of a supervisory or management focus, but in this case we had a couple of constables who were interested in putting something like this on to make ourselves a little more available to the community. I was happy to support that.
“Part of being an effective police service is community involvement, and we can do that in a number of different ways. We can coach, be involved in school events and community events, but often those activities focus on a specific audience. This is just another way to connect with people, with no agenda.”
Gordon noted that many interactions between police and the public occur during stressful situations.
“There are all sorts of questions people have when they see us, but either they don't have the time or we don't have the time. This was about making time for those sorts of things.”
Gordon joined the RCMP in 2004 and said a childhood friend helped inspire his career choice.
“I'm the first generation in my family to be involved with the RCMP, but growing up in small-town Saskatchewan, Mounties were always part of my life. It wasn't until a friend decided he wanted to become a Mountie and worked as a summer student that I got to see what the job was really like.
“That experience really shaped his view of wanting to be involved in the community and be part of something important in the province, and that had an impact on me as well.”
As members of a national police force, RCMP officers can be stationed anywhere in Canada. Gordon began his career in British Columbia before returning to Saskatchewan.
“I did get to experience being an RCMP officer in other provinces. I started off in B.C., but eventually the draw of coming home to Saskatchewan hits every prairie boy and prairie girl. There was just something about coming home.”
Gordon said Swift Current continues to be a desirable place for officers to live and work.
“I think Swift Current is a great community. It's a city, but it still has that small-town feel. From city council to business owners to neighbours, we feel very supported. It's a great place to live and, as a police officer, you find that people appreciate what you're doing and why you're here. That definitely helps.
“One thing about policing in a small town or city is that, no matter how hard you try, you have to realize at some point you may have to put duty over friendship. If someone I played hockey with or served on a board with crosses the line, I still have a job to do.”
Given the positive response, Gordon said the RCMP hopes to hold similar events in the future.
“It's always nice to chat with even a handful of people. Rather than having people walk into the station, a meet-and-greet like this works well.”
The Swift Current Municipal RCMP detachment is currently operating at full strength with 19 officers.
“Every one of our positions is filled. Provincially, we're seeing more new members coming out of training and coming to Saskatchewan, which is helping ease some of the resource pressures and staff shortages we experienced during and after COVID-19. Here in the city, we're fortunate to have a full complement.”
Gordon said the RCMP is also looking at ways to maximize front-line policing resources.
“One thing we're trying to do provincially, and here with a few key positions, is use support staff for more administrative work. That frees up our police officers to stay on the road, respond to calls and do proactive policing.”
Community trust remains one of the most important aspects of the job, he added.
“It really does make a big difference for us to be at events like this. If people don't know us or trust us, they're less likely to cooperate when we need it or share information with us. It's important for people to trust us.”
