The New Westminster Police Department will be holding consultations on how it should operate in the coming years.
The NWPD’s strategic plan will lay out how police engage with the community in 2020 and beyond, and the department has already done some consultations through online surveys between May 27 and June 24.
According to the minutes from the June police board meeting, by June 11 the department had received 690 submissions in the first couple of weeks.
“We are very excited about our community engagement process so far,” said acting deputy chief constable Paul Hyland. “We are hoping a diverse cross section of our community will attend one of the sessions and have their voices heard on this very important process.”
The city hopes to hear from business owners, students and those who visit the city frequently.
The new plan will “outline the future mission and vision of the NWPD,” according to a department news release. The department will be asking the public about a number of topics, including policing priorities, where the NWPD does well, where it could improve and what issues the department should focus on.
“Public input is vital in this process,” a news release reads.
Residents can RSVP to save a seat at four different consultation sessions through the NWPD website, at nwpolice.org.
All four consultation sessions will be held at the New West Public Library auditorium at the following times:
Saturday, Sept. 21 – 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Click on the date and time above that best fits your schedule to register for the event.
NWPD staff and third-party members of the strategic plan team will be on hand to answer questions during the meetings.
The current strategic plan came into effect in 2016.
