Drumheller Policing Committee seeking public input

    Those interested about the direction that law enforcement will take in the future in Drumheller are invited to an open house this Thursday evening.     The Drumheller Policing Committee is hosting the open house at the Civic Centre starting at 7 p.m. This meeting is a forum for residents to offer ideas and suggestions to contribute to setting priorities for the committee, the town and the RCMP detachment.
    Fred Makowecki has been chair of the policing committee for about a year and one of his priorities was to get residents more involved and engaged.
    “One of the goals of the policing committee in Drumheller when it was setup two years ago was getting the community more involved in policing,” he said. “That correlates with the RCMP’s mandate.”
    He said there has been a shift in policing. From his understanding that previously the mandate of the RCMP was top down and the community had very little say in those priorities.
    To engage the community, they are hosting the open house. At the event, the committee will go through the planning process and then accept questions from the public.
    “We will be introducing and explaining a little bit about the detachment and trying to get people to be more aware about the policing in the community,” said Makowecki.
    “I am hoping as chair of the committee, and the Town is hoping that as many people that we can talk to will participate and help us come up with priorities that Drumheller deems important in policing,” he said.
    Those wanting to get involved, but are unable to attend the meeting, can take a quick online survey to let their voices be heard. The survey allows respondents to identify what they feel are priorities. The survey is available at Town Hall or on www.dinosaurvalley.com.
    Makowecki acknowledges the meeting is on the same evening as the community grocery round-up for the Salvation Army Food Bank. He says those wanting to participate in both can either leave a package on their doorstep on Thursday night to be picked up by canvassers, or they can bring their donation to the meeting and it will be given to the food bank.