Photo: Castanet / File
Kelowna’s new top police officer says officers in her department will serve community residents with dignity and compassion.
Five months into the job, Supt. Kara Triance stood before the city council with her vision for the next three years.
“The Kelowna Division is proud to be a division of the RCMP. You can see in this (3-year strategic) plan that one of the guiding principles is the RCMP’s Mission, Vision and Values - and us to our core values said Triance.
“The core values of honesty, integrity, professionalism, compassion, accountability, and respect must be embodied in everything we do when we serve this community.”
According to Triance, the plan is to regain confidence in the troops and recognize that only a small proportion of the crimes are reported to the police.
“The goals and objectives in this plan are committed to the learning we had, which suggests we need to work in our communities to build that relationship and these important connections.
“Our goal is to increase awareness and opportunities of what to expect when reporting crime. We will work to ensure that 70 percent of our department is trained and have the” Start By Believing “campaign to improve our response sexual violence. “
Triance says the department will strive to “do our best for every citizen” by investing in leadership training and in-house wellness assessments.
“When we are doing well internally, we are resourced and when we are clear about our leadership, oversight and accountability, our officials will do their best for our community,” said Triance.
“I’ve spent the last five months listening, making changes and understanding that without psychological resilience for all police officers, we cannot move forward.
“If our internal health is paramount and our education is accurate and we show compassion for our citizens, I believe we will make a difference for every citizen if they are victimized by victimization. For those with personal loss, mental health, and substance abuse, our officers will be there and serve with dignity. “
For details, Triance says the department will prioritize downtown, Central Kelowna, and Central Rutland as priority areas.
She says the department will work with residents, businesses, and courts to prevent property crime theft and productive offenders, and develop security plans with five supporting housing units or shelters over the next three years.
The plan comes because the department continues to try to improve its image and regain public confidence after a series of embarrassing incidents involving some officials over the past 24 months.
Mayor Colin Basran described the plan as possibly the best one he saw during his tenure on the RCMP and said it hit all the important points.
