DELTA Police Department volunteers contributed more than 40,000 hours of service to the community in 2018, and recently they were celebrated and thanked at a dinner.
“You are all great ambassadors for the Delta Police Department and are key in helping us build community relations by the services you provide,” said Superintendent Harj Sidhu in a speech to the volunteers. He noted that the everyday connections made by the volunteers also provides Delta Police with valuable feedback about the community’s concerns.
Delta Police have more than 220 volunteers who perform a wide variety of services including:
- Staffing the front counters at District Community Police Offices
- Giving more than 1,000 hours to Speed and Cell Watch duties to remind the public to slow down and put down the phone
- Bringing public awareness and crime prevention tips to neighbourhoods, and spending more than 1,100 hours patrolling schools and parks.
- Community crime watch patrols, providing more than 2,000 hours of service in 2018
- Victim services volunteers, who in 2018 assisted more than 200 clients, providing a shoulder to lean on during times of crisis
- Assisting at traffic control locations at over 20 community events and parades.
At the dinner, Police Chief Neil Dubord thanked the volunteers for helping to make Delta a safer and better community, and noted that people volunteer for many reasons, from simply wishing to give back to the community to building skills for a future career.In the past year, 27 DPD volunteers were hired as police officers, some with other forces, and 10 with the Delta Police. Five volunteers went onto Correction Services and several others obtained police staff jobs within the department.
Delta Police volunteers have also received recognition from others for the service they provided in 2018. Two reserve constables receiving Police Honours awards from the Lieutenant Governor of BC, and a victim services volunteer was nominated for the Delta Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year.
Anyone wishing to learn more about volunteering is asked to visit deltapolice.ca/volunteer
