This week’s appearance of Timmins Police Chief Dan Foy and Insp. Rick Blanchette walking a downtown beat wasn’t the first, and won’t be the last.
Communications coordinator Marc Depatie says it’s a sign that all levels of the police service are dedicated to fighting crime and drug abuse downtown.
He emphasizes that it was not a one-off photo-op.
“We can certainly appreciate where this might come across as a staged event and okay, we’ve done that, so now we can move on,” Depatie acknowledges. “That’s certainly not the case.”
There are several other reasons for the patrols.
“It’s an all hands on deck approach because of the seriousness of certain social ills that are affecting a number of residents of Timmins;” Depatie says, “the business community as well.”
Depatie says it also shows rank and file officers that their superiors won’t ask them to do anything they wouldn’t do. He says senior officers will allocate time in the schedules for more foot patrols.