THUNDER BAY - The Thunder Bay Police Service is launching a feature on their website to help inform the public of the progress of their initiatives.
The web page, titled Breaking Barriers, offers comprehensive examples regarding of the department's efforts to address concerns around systemic racism and the building of relationships with the community.
Among the site's highlights are details of TBPS's Shaping Our Future organizational chart, which outlines changes being made, including an attempt to attract more Indigenous people to policing, diversity and cultural training within the police force, and plans to enhance communications both internally and externally to foster accountability.
Acting Police Chief Sylvie Hauth said it’s an attempt to be transparent about the process.
“We want to inform the community in terms of what we’ve been doing in the last year,” she said on Wednesday.
The web page will also include specific information regarding updates into the Seven Youth Inquest and updates regarding the Office of the Independent Police Review Director's review into systemic racism within the department.
The inquest and review were launched in 2016 and 2017 respectively, but Hauth said it was time to bring the community up to speed on their progress.
“We often have the opportunity to address the media on a sporadic basis for specific projects,” Hauth said. “But I think this is a good opportunity to put everything in one location.”
Social media activity can also be found on the web page.
“We’ve been very cognizant of the concerns that we’re raised, and we’re working very hard on showcasing the relationships that we’ve built, and building trust in the community,” Hauth said.
