Our Community Police Liaison Committee, and thoughts on our responsibilities

Hello SLHA Community. I am Patricia Stamp, a resident of Marowyne Drive.

I responded to the 33 Division's call for volunteers to participate in the Community Police Liaison Committee, and attended the meeting on Tuesday 27 January.

I found it a very worthwhile experience, and it was interesting to see the range of people committed to community service. It is heartening to see the Police Service encourage us to join in partnership with them for the betterment of our communities, and even more heartening to discover that they listen. I didn't see any other SLHA members there, but if any other SLHA members are also attending or planning to attend meetings, please let me know, and we can share our experiences and communicate amongst ourselves about issues specific to our area.

In the meanwhile, here are a few ideas I brought away with me. Please note, that while I am reporting on some Police Service initiatives, the opinions expressed here are my own.

1. Toronto Police Service 2008 Environmental Scan. It is a good idea for us to be aware of the wider context of our own neighbourhood policing and safety issues. Our highly-regarded Toronto police service is well connected to the police profession nationally and world-wide, and uses sophisticated research tools to monitor trends in our city. Input from city officials and citizens is an important part of the research mix. The Service uses its results to shape policy that is tailored to the specific needs of each community. Every three years, the Service produces an "Environmental Scan" that makes public and transparent the basis on which policy decisions are made. You can see the document here: http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/publications/files/reports/2008envscan.pdf

2. Our own Division. Many of you may be familiar with this site already, but I wasn't. I think it's worth a look.
http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/d33/
Division 33 is the smallest in the city in staff numbers, while being one of the largest in area geographically. In that staffing is directly related to an area's "call-for-service," I guess that means we are a relatively peaceful part of the city. Something to celebrate -- see the next point.

3. TAVIS. I think it is useful that the police are not only working to reduce violence -- their obvious mandate -- but also to reduce fear. Here is the the Police website's description of TAVIS:

"The Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy, or TAVIS for short, is the plan that the Toronto Police Service is using to reduce violence and fear in neighbourhoods. The plan uses community mobilization to:

• reduce crime and disorder,
• make neighbourhoods safer, and
• bring neighbours together to keep their neighbourhood safe and liveable."

This is a great program, and I hope it will make a big difference over time. It strikes me that we residents can each do something personally about the fear factor: inform ourselves of the statistical likelihood of suffering violence in our own area, so that we can distinguish between real and imagined dangers, and thereby enjoy our public and private spaces less fearfully. Fear can all too easily become a habit, and one that we pass on to our children. Social and psychological research is showing that fear and suspicion are contagious, but more encouragingly, so are optimism and happiness. Have a look at the Globe and Mail article about it in December: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081205.wlhappy05/BNStory/lifeFamily/home .

You can see the whole TAVIS statement here: http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/tavis/

While I will not be able to attend regularly over the next couple of months, I will be attending the next meeting, on February 24, and will give another brief report at that time. In the meanwhile, if anyone has an issue they would like me to bring to the Committee meeting, please let me know.

Best wishes to all my neighbours. For your enjoyment, I include a scene from our ravine.

Patricia Stamp