May 23, 2019
Province Invests $2.7 Million in Policing and Public Safety Strategy
– – –Law Enforcement Agencies and Manitoba Justice Working Together to Keep Manitobans Safe: Cullen
The Manitoba government is taking further action to address challenges in the criminal justice system and ensure families feel safe in their homes and communities by investing $2.7 million in Manitoba’s Policing and Public Safety Strategy, Justice Minister Cliff Cullen announced today.
“The Manitoba government is committed to reducing crime and making our communities safer for Manitoba families,” said Cullen. “I’m confident the Policing and Public Safety Strategy will support greater collaboration between police agencies and Manitoba Justice, improve criminal intelligence and enforcement, and help police combat the illicit drug trade.”
The minister noted the strategy will be focused on eight key areas including:
• improving policing effectiveness through better intelligence and collaboration,
• targeting communities with high rates of violence,
• improving traffic safety,
• alleviating extraneous demands on police,
• enhancing Community Mobilization and Hub Tables,
• improving support to vulnerable people and victims of crime,
• expanding police participation in early case diversions, and
• collaborating on policing initiatives respecting Indigenous communities.
The minister noted that Budget 2019 allocated $2.3 million for initiatives to reduce crime and combat the illicit drug trade. That investment, along with investments from Manitoba’s share of the Guns and Gangs Violence Action Fund and the federal Proceeds of Crime Fund will support priority initiatives under the strategy including:
• designing and building a collaborative Provincial Intelligence Model with a total 2019-20 investment of $835,000;
• providing financial support of up to $1 million to support joint policing operations to suppress and disrupt illicit drug trafficking networks;
• developing an interdiction pilot project with $200,000 to support training and joint forces projects;
• enhancing support for Community Mobilization and Hub Tables with $250,000 to develop standards and expand programming to northern communities;
• investing an additional $200,000 in the expansion of the Health IM initiative with police and regional health authorities; and
• providing $300,000 to assist the collaboration between the RCMP, City of Thompson and other stakeholders in the development of a public safety strategy for Thompson.
The Policing and Public Safety Strategy supports existing initiatives to make Manitobans safer, including a mandatory five-year review of The Police Services Act, further development of a Provincial Guns and Gangs Suppression Strategy, support for the tripartite Illicit Drug Task Force and implementation of the immediate roadside prohibition.
“The Manitoba government is focused on keeping Manitobans safe by stopping the proliferation of illicit drugs in our communities, disrupting and suppressing gangs and other criminal organizations, and stopping the flow of illegal firearms and illicit drugs,” said Cullen. “This is an ongoing process and we will monitor results closely to drive further improvements to keep Manitobans safe.”
The province will also facilitate community-based solutions to crime through police partnerships with Indigenous leadership, public safety education and community mobilization, the minister said.
The Policing and Public Safety Strategy can be viewed at:
www.gov.mb.ca/justice/pubs/police_publicsafety_strategy.pdf.
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