By Spencer Sterritt

Coffee and good conversation flows between RCMP and community

Jun 30, 2017 | 4:50 PM

NANAIMO — Nanaimo residents got a chance to put a face to the RCMP badge.

For an hour, Nanaimo RCMP officers mingled and met with community members in the lobby of the Brooks Landing Save-On-Foods for the first Coffee with a Cop initiative on June 29.

Denise Matthews said she went to talk to officers about Nanaimo’s downtown core.

“What’s happening down there, the waterfront, safety issues and feeling insecure down there,” she said. “I don’t like going down there alone at certain times of the day….it’s getting interesting down there. I don’t feel as comfortable as I was feeling originally when I moved here.”

Matthews said she was advised on how to best deal with panhandlers and how she can drop into the Community Policing office on Commercial St. if she’s feeling unsafe.

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Overall, Matthews said she was happy to have a conversation with RCMP.

“I think they need to have our support…and we need to understand there’s only so much they can do within the confines of the law, with their numbers and what they have at their disposal.”

Nanaimo RCMP’s latest officer got a chance to mingle.

Ty Skrine has been on the force roughly a week and was one of the several officers at the event.

“Obviously it’s a very good experience for me. Honestly, this is the fifth or sixth time I’ve been in uniform in the community so it’s always nice to get that experience and talk to people who want to talk to you.”

It’s expected the Coffee with a Cop event will happen roughly every two weeks at various coffee shops around town.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit