Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 24, 1996, Winnipeg, Manitoba Maureen 6977373 sunday free press March 1996 1 Manitoba Man at Mayo cardiologist compares care in Canada d5 entertainment reality Check forget the heres an offbeat look at the Oscar race d7 Tell me a Story the music stopped Turtle quit playing after she almost became soup d6 books playing Pool hustlers journal a fascinating trip around the table d4 just for the kids specially stores loaded with goodies to feed Young minds d4 from the Core to the storefront based police officers find respect in the Community by Doug Nairne police reporter t he manw1n hotel brings tears to the eyes of Jim Thiessen and his John As they walk the main Street Thiessen left and to Pushnik make an but also have Friendly encounters on main Street its not the House band belting out a Heartfelt Johnny Cash tune that has them pulling out the its the Vapours Ris ing off the sniffers who sit slouched Over their Beers around the dimly lit when they walk by the fumes Are enough to give you a Thiessen As soon As you come in this place it hits the band skips a beat and All eyes turn to the officers when they walk into the fresh from the bitterly cold a few people in the crowd Mouth insults and their friends Tell them to shut up As they try to Slink into the the offi cers pull their parkas away from their guns and run a hand Over the Pepper Spray canisters on their Black leather then to Pushnik gets a big How Are you i missed you where have you been says an overweight woman who wraps her arms around the who is smiling its a scene repeated countless times every night in the burs that line the Infa Mous drag policed from a storefront office at 590 main you get to know the people Down Here and they get to know Thiessen it helps keep everybody Calm and pre vents the two constables Community police work is what the cites leaders want to see to Pushnik left and Thiessen take time to assist a Man tee it despondent More of a highly visible police presence that helps to Stop crime before it even though the traditional relationship Between the police and Many of the people who haunt the drinking holes along the main Street strip has been Many main Streeter have taken a liking to their neighbourhood in another beverage a Man comes up to shakes his hand and asks if he is going to Florida on holidays again this they debate the merits of Disney Hes a Good Guy when Hes not drink to Pushnik he was one of the first people i arrested when i got Down the relationship Between the police and the residents of the area has had an effect on the officers it has developed to the Point where people see the police As a resource to help them with their prob people keep pretty Good track of and they notice when we Are Thiessen they say things really Start getting out of control when were off for a few Thiessen says area residents have even started calling the storefront office and warning the officers if they know one of the local trouble makers has a gun or has been drink ing and getting later on this to Pushnik proves his Point about getting to know the when the officers walk into the mount Royal the prostitutes who fill the bar All come Over to visit and Start to share information about whats happening on the in a scene almost too surreal to to Pushnik talks about a recent ice fish ing trip with two one of whom is wearing thigh High leather boots and a tight Black skirt so Short she has to pull it Down every few seconds to keep her Bot Tom Shes a Good kid its a waste to see her doing he says after the girl wanders off into the we try to keep them out of trouble the Best we of not All the cites Community police officers Are spending their nights walking up and Down the seedy streets of the inner for John Snow shovelling has become a major he says problems such As property Dis Putes and seniors complaining about their neighbors shovelling Snow into their Yards keep him hopping at the Community police office in Kildonan place and dont even suggest to an angry Citi zen that Snow is not a big some of the things we Deal with Are not serious crimes in the Broad but if it upsets the people who live its our Job to Deal with he if we can sort out a neighbourhood Dis Pute Early then it prevents us from investigating an assault Kozachuk said his officers have also become heavily involved in schools in the Transcona area to help get a handle on youth crime and gang Paul Section supervisor for Community police says the Type of policing being done by the store front offices is going to become More com Mon in the there Are 12 Community police offices spread throughout the offering Vari Ous Levels of the plan is to reduce the number to but to make the offices so called Fuller vice centres where people can do any thing from making complaints to paying parking the offices would be open seven Days a 18 hours a the concept is not Only politically popu Lar among civic but has great Appeal to residents As Ingram there is a big demand from residents to get Community police into their neigh he people take a great Deal of Security knowing we Are there for under a proposal being just Over 100 officers would be detailed to Community up from the current ;