Community corner RCMP -
Halifax Regional Municipality's Public Safety Officers, Supt. Don Spicer, says that after a year in office the importance of collaborative efforts in crime prevention and crime reduction shouldn't be underestimated.
"What keeps popping up is the importance of working together," Spicer told a recent crime prevention symposium in Halifax organized by the Nova Scotia Department of Justice.
Spicer said crime is a symptom of deeper societal issues. Attacking those issues with a collaborative approach involving members of the community, social agencies and government departments, will bring with it a measurable reduction in crime and fewer victims.
Spicer said eliminating many of the root causes of crime require many different agencies working together in a sustained effort.
"Crime is a symptom of a real problem," he said.
One of the key issues is the lack of affordable housing. A recent survey estimates there are approximately 1,700 people in the shelter system in HRM, a figure that has a significant ripple effect on other agencies including police and the health-care system.
Claudia Jahn, program director for Community Action on Homelessness, said the impact of a lack of affordable housing has a clear impact on policing and public safety.
She said many people caught in the shelter system will do whatever they can to avoid spending time in shelters.
"Most will re-offend rather than spend the night in a shelter," she said.
Jahn and Spicer stressed the importance of building relationships between agencies to address the many root causes of crime. Jahn said attacking one root cause of crime, namely homelessness, will have a substantial impact on society and will help address other issues such as addiction and mental health problems.
Spicer said that underlines the importance of forging partnerships and working with agencies and the community.
