Funding targets local safety efforts

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This article was published 19/05/2023 (1048 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon police and local Bear Clan patrols say new funding from the province will allow their respective groups to enhance their crime prevention and safety initiatives in the community.

At Brandon Police Service headquarters Thursday, Premier Heather Stefanson announced more than $349,000 from the criminal property forfeiture fund for the two groups.

The money will go toward purchasing forensic gathering equipment ($64,000) and a new aerial drone ($22,000) for Brandon police officers.

The province is also investing $184,000 in various other BPS programs, priorities and tools, but no further details were given.

The remaining $80,000 will be used to buy a new minibus for Brandon Bear Clan, allowing the organization to expand its patrols in the community and provide more complex services to those in need.

“We currently have a van, but we use it to carry all of our supplies and for transport and to do all of our patrols,” Bear Clan outreach worker Jade Gamblin said during Thursday’s news conference in Brandon.

“So, [the minibus] will definitely benefit us in that way to join our volunteers, widen our patrol area and possibly transport people to safer areas as well.”

Police Chief Wayne Balcaen was similarly excited about the prospect of adding a new drone to the department, since the tiny, unmanned aircraft possesses better imaging capabilities compared to the older model BPS currently uses.

“A couple things it can really help with is at a crime scene before our members enter it,” Balcaen said.

“It can give us a great aerial view, allowing us to look for evidence. If we have an ongoing situation, we can use it for aerial intelligence to give feedback to our members if there’s danger there or if somebody is escaping [the area].”

Balcaen was also thankful the province included the Bear Clan in the latest round of criminal property forfeiture fund grants, as he views the organization as a pivotal part of the city’s broader campaign to increase community safety.

Since its inception in 2017, the Brandon Bear Clan has followed in the footsteps of its sister group in Winnipeg by conducting local patrols to make sure the city’s most vulnerable citizens are safe and have access to food, water, clothing and other resources.

In doing so, the group aims to proactively prevent the need for police intervention for people who are homeless or dealing with a mental health crisis, an approach Balcaen agrees with.

“We’re never going to arrest our way out of the issues that we face in society,” Balcaen said. “This is a great announcement, and we will put these dollars to great use.”

The criminal property forfeiture fund has been in place since 2009 and was designed to redirect funds from seized criminal assets to finance community crime prevention initiatives.

The program has distributed more than $26 million to Manitoba municipalities over the last 13 years. Balcaen said BPS has received more than $1.6 million since he became chief in 2017.

In 2019, BPS used nearly $390,000 acquired through the criminal property forfeiture fund to purchase an “armoured rescue vehicle.”

The armoured vehicle, which is deployed on calls involving guns or other high-risk situations, stands at nearly 10 feet tall and can carry up to 10 officers at a time.

Thursday’s announcement comes a day after the province revealed that six properties seized in downtown Winnipeg under the Criminal Property Forfeiture Act will be sold to an Indigenous or non-profit organization for $1 each to develop affordable housing.

In a Canadian Press report, Winnipeg defence lawyer Scott Newman criticized this method of property seizure, saying the province can take such assets even if someone hasn’t been convicted of a crime.

“There’s also the question of whether the punishment fits the crime,” Newman said. “If you’re running a small-level grow-op or you sell $60 worth of pills to an undercover officer, should I lose my $300,000 house?”

Balcaen defended the process during Thursday’s news conference, stating everyone involved in these cases has the right to attend court and offer a defence argument.

“We do our part as far as the criminal side and then there’s a civil side and any of the assets that are seized obviously go through a court process and people have the right to appeal in court,” he said.

“So, there are upper protections or levels put in there that allow people to go through a formal process.”

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com, with files from The Canadian Press

» Twitter: @KyleDarbyson