By Joanne Oostveen - The Weekly News
An RCMP town hall meeting held last week at Cole Harbour Place was supposed to give residents a chance to voice their concerns and ask police questions.
But it was too bad that not many people showed up, said one Cole Harbour resident.
"I bet tonight the number of RCMP officers and elected officials totals more than the number of regular citizens," said Tom Silver as he looked around at the empty chairs.
"Maybe it is time to recognize that more communication is needed to let the public know about the good news stories that come from our police and other emergency services organizations."
Silver said more people probably knew about the fire at Hooters restaurant than about the meeting.
His idea to generate more awareness is to reassign some money, go to a media outlet like Eastlink and produce a show outlining police initiatives. And that could just be the start, said Silver.
"Even part of the show could be made up of a phone-in session with police," he said.
Supt. Darrell Beaton, who chaired the meeting, said the RCMP is willing to listen to any ideas that may come from the public and agreed that positive promotion of programs and initiatives is a good thing.
Beaton did give a snapshot of what has been happening in the Cole Harbour area. He listed the Top 10 calls in Cole Harbour jurisdiction from January to October.
They were calls for assistance, residential alarms, youth complaints, property damage, MVAs, thefts, suspicious vehicles, thefts from motor vehicles not in progress, and assistance to other agencies.
A "concerned citizen" from Hampton Green stood up and said she is tired of living in an area that some call the Hampton Green Speedway.
Her complaint is that too many cars are using her street as a thoroughfare. She wants it to be turned back into a residential street instead of being used as a bypass to avoid the lights on Cole Harbour Road.
"I understand her feelings," said Cole Harbour Coun. Lorelei Nicoll who also attended the meeting. "This complaint has merit. I have spoken with staff at traffic services and will do so again."
Other traffic issues were brought up that included one runner's frustrations with drivers' lack of courtesy.
"I am alarmed at people who are driving quickly down the curly roads and drivers not looking when runners are trying to cross at the crosswalk at John Stuart," said Janice Fiander.
Bicyclist Gary O'Donnell told the group he doesn't like the fact that the area does not have enough bike lanes.
"Things are starting to go in the right direction in Cole Harbour, but it is still not enough," he said.
Cpl. John Stoddard, site manager for the Cole Harbour RCMP said he knows residents are concerned about youth crime and said programs like school liaison officers, Cops and Kids, bicycle and foot patrols, youth groups like the Stetsons and Spurs and Citizens on Patrol all play a positive role in the crime- reduction strategy.
But Seana Jewer, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Cole Harbour said she sees few programs that really get to the heart of engaging youth in their own community.
"I see no young people here at this meeting tonight," she said. "And that is a shame because they are our future."
joanneoostveen@accesswave.ca
Top five criminal code calls from Jan. 1 to Oct. 31
