President Rena opened and acknowledged that we live upon First Nations' land. Yours truly recited the 4 way test, Heidi provided the Invocation and we toasted the King of the United Kingdom.
Following the information provided by Nancy, our SAA, a couple tardy members joined the meeting and I counted 18 members present with an additional member joining via Zoom.
Seven (7) guests joined us: Pat, Lina, Tracey, Marsha, Adam, Suzanne and Jocelyn. Heidi asked guests to remain standing for the entire meeting, but they didn't listen.
Ann-Marie demonstrated that arriving late has its benefits and her number was pulled first, but she could not find the ace of spades. Paul McMenemy's number was pulled (again) and he lost (again). Paul - Groudhog Day was Feb 2. $635 remains in the pot
Paul's President's Levee is the afternoon of Sunday, February 25th in the party room, 6th floor of Tower One in the Gaslight Towers at 50 Grand Ave S. This is "a chance for members to honour Paul" and/or come for the free food and entertainment. Commercial parking is available under the towers which is actually at ground level and can be accessed either off Glebe St or Grand Ave. Make your way to either level of the 2 level entrances of the towers use the directories to call Jeff Hunter, Nancy Yule or Jerry Horochowianka and you will be buzzed into the building. Make your way to the lobby and someone will greet you to take you to the party room. Remember, this is in the residents' private condo towers, NOT in the District or public event spaces. Let Paul know if you can make it.
Fireside is this Thursday, February 15th from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm at Quarry House, 377 George Street North, Suite 1. If you attend, you may win a prize. Bring a friend and you have more chances of winning. Heidi will resend an email with more details. Fireside replaces the normal lunch meeting.
Tickets for the 3rd Annual Gala on April 5th are available. Hurry, the price goes up on Feb 16th. https://www.rotarycambridgeph.com/vegas-gala-event.html Bring a bottle to a Rotary meeting for the wine wall and receive a ballot to win a ticket to the gala.
Ann-Marie announced that the Tacos y Tequila event raised $5,000 and a great time was held by all who were there, even those with 2 left feet.
Jeff announced that he would buy a glass of wine for everyone attending the lunch meeting on Feb 15th at the club. However, there is no lunch meeting on Feb 15.
Paul introduced our speaker, Chief Mark Crowell, a member of the Waterloo Regional Police Services since 2001 and who is currently our 7th Chief of Police.
The format of today's meeting was a Q &A for which Paul held several pages of pre-planned questions (too lengthy to include here). The following are highlights from Chief Mark Crowell's responses:
Human trafficking is a silent (almost invisible crime) yet very real issue in our region and across Canada for which a small, yet mighty taskforce is dedicated to eradicating. It is a difficult to prosecute as the victims are immersed in the offences. Young women living at home with the parents are also being targeted due to advance technology and social media
WRPS is part of the appeal to recognize intimate partner violence as an epidemic. 6,7000 calls are received annually with 1/2 resulting in charges. The Family Violence Project has a mission of reducing recurring issues through preventative, not reactive approaches. It takes a community and more information on Waterloo Region's Community Safety and wellness Plan can be reviewed here: https://safeandwellwr.ca/
WRPS works towards being an inclusive organization by hiring those who reflect the community they serve. Connecting with leaders of various groups helps to build a strong network of support/service and confidence in the force is strengthened through these relationships. The Chief pointed out that we are the fastest grouping area in Canada and trust with newcomers needs to be earned.
Staying connected to the pulse of the nation and the province, international trends and groups' agendas is the work of a WRPS investigative team which gathers intelligence used to reduce hate crimes. Having a presence at community events also helps reduce hate crimes. The police have an obligation to offer safe event spaces for protests, the likes we have seen on rise during the recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict. An important note is that locally, we do not see the type of hate crimes as our surrounding regions.
There is a fine balance between providing a police presence in schools and not interfering with educational goals by School Boards. Youth violence in and out of schools is a large conversation and more information on the ways WRPS is working to prevent youth crimes can be found by reading the Youth Engagement Strategy here: https://preventingcrime.ca/our-work/youth-engagement/
In the last 6 years, there have been 80 to 100 drug related deaths per year in Waterloo Region. The death rate is 2 to 3 times higher in other parts of Canada, which means we can applaud the efforts of our local police. The WRPS respond to 600-800 drug related calls per year with their primary purpose being to safe a life and then prosecute the dealer, not punish the addict. Waterloo Region Integrated Drugs Strategy can be found here: https://www.waterlooregiondrugstrategy.ca/en/find-help/addiction-treatment-programs.aspx# Harm reduction practices and preventative resources can be viewed on the site.
There has been a rise in violent crimes using weapons in the last 3 years. Replica firearms and design plans for guns using a 3D printer are easily accessible and should be a concern for all. Most of the violent crimes in our region are committed by visitors coming in to steal, deal drugs and steal vehicles, therefore this requires the co-operative efforts of multiple police forces.
The WRPS takes pride in making great alliances in the community and enjoys supporting and championing groups and causes such as the Special Olympics which will attract 1,000 athletes from across Ontario.
There is a comprehensive plan in place to address the mental health and wellbeing of the entire force, including veterans. An average citizen experiences a few traumatic experiences in their lifetime compared to the average Frist Responder who experiences over 600. It is estimated that 10% of the force is experiencing trauma at any given moment.
The most common complaints made by citizens when surveys are conducted are traffic related and solutions to many of these complaints will be made through advancing technology. . The last survey results from 2022 can be found here: https://www.wrps.on.ca/en/about-us/reports-publications-and-surveys.aspx and newer survey results from July/Aug 2023 will be uploaded soon.
Currently 90% of the force has some form of post-secondary education, but there is some talk of reducing qualifications in order to recruit more officers.
Street and online officers work to address cyber crimes for which there are 3 types; Traditional (demanding a ransom mainly from businesses and some individuals), Crimes (defrauding people, typically seniors and some catfishing schemes) and Exploitation (or extortion which typically target young people).
One thousand (1,000) vehicles were stolen in Waterloo Region in 2023. The thefts are directed by organized crime which often train and pay youth to steal a car for $500. The GPS system in the car is dismantled and the vehicle often sold overseas where 2 to 3 times the retail prices can be obtained. Manufacturers need to put resources in theft preventive measures. At the time of the Rotary meeting, there was a national summit on combatting auto theft. https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/cntrng-crm/autothft-cntrvhcls/smmt-en.aspx
The prediction from Chief Mark Crowell is that many smaller communities will need to consolidate their police services in order to be effective. WRPS celebrated 50 years of service in 2023 and is the 7th largest in Ontario, 12th largest in Canada
The floor was opened to general questions which resulted in the chief saying volunteers are needed for events and the Auxiliary Police Services, he is unaware of organized crime behind local panhandlers, one should always report any and all activity involving even a suspected stalker, there are procedures in place for police accountability and some information about vehicle license plate technology that Larry Brokenshire can best answer.
Tom thanked Chief Mark Crowell on behalf of Rotary, all residents of Waterloo Region and Probus (where a similar Q & A was recently provided) for keeping us safe and protected.
Rena closed the meeting by wishing everyone a happy St. Valentine's Day.
