Since 2007 the West Shore RCMP has had an Indigenous Policing Unit working in and with local First Nations both to fight crime and build important relationships.

For the past seven years, the man tasked with achieving those important goals has been Const. Cole Brewer. If you ask him, itB次元官网网址檚 not just among the most important work heB次元官网网址檚 ever done, but also the most satisfying.

B次元官网网址漈he primary role of the unit is to provide culturally-sensitive policing and improve police-community relations, so the primary role is not enforcement, but it is always part of the job,B次元官网网址� said Brewer. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a lot of fun. ItB次元官网网址檚 something I really enjoy and have a lot of passion for.B次元官网网址�

A member of Okanagan Nation Lower Smilkameen Indian Band, Brewer served in the military before joining the West Shore RCMP with a desire to serve his community through education. That made joining the Indigenous Policing Unit an especially good fit, since the majority of his work is community outreach and education.

READ MORE: New West Shore RCMP uniform patch features Lekwungen translation

A lot of his time on the job is spent engaging with youth, both Indigenous and settler, sharing things about his own culture, local Coast Salish culture and crime prevention messaging.

Recently, that work has involved teaching students at Ecole John Stubbs Memorial School about bannock fry bread and the detachmentB次元官网网址檚 canoe TlB次元官网网址機hes Spirit and the significance of its name B次元官网网址� the Lekwungen word meaning island, specifically Chatham Island, which was originally a Songhees village site B次元官网网址� and the cultural importance of the canoe.

HeB次元官网网址檚 also done bottle rocket launches with teens from the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. The unit serves as a way to have police engage with youth in a positive environment.

B次元官网网址淚n an Indigenous community, everybody knows each other, a lot of people are related to each other, and the community works on personal relationships,B次元官网网址� said Brewer. B次元官网网址淪o the expectation with community partners, whether police or otherwise, is for them to mimic those other relationships. For the RCMP, having someone assigned specifically to the community, to get time to know that community, its members and its culture, is very important. ItB次元官网网址檚 not required for every police call, but it is for some B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 nice for the community to have someone there who knows all that and is a familiar face.B次元官网网址�

READ MORE: Indigenous artist collects sounds for virtual Witness Blanket

ItB次元官网网址檚 a policing model which has proved effective, said Esquimalt Nation Chief Coun. Rob Thomas.

B次元官网网址淎ll these kids need a role model like this, and they need the police in their schools, especially after they discovered the gangs are filtering into our schools,B次元官网网址� said Thomas. B次元官网网址淗e has a fantastic relationship with the Esquimalt Nation and the Songhees Nation.B次元官网网址�

Thomas said while BrewerB次元官网网址檚 relationship with the communityB次元官网网址檚 youth is the most important benefit B次元官网网址� with the kids being engaged with his messages and open with him in conversation B次元官网网址� his work and the Indigenous Policing UnitB次元官网网址檚 work has also had a direct impact on crime.

Where police were once called to the nation three or more times per week, he said that hardly ever happens now, and incidents of violence and crime are at nearly zero.

B次元官网网址淚f this Indigenous program can be as successful across the country as it is here, it would be perfect for the relationship between the RCMP and First Nations.B次元官网网址�

Thanks to that strong partnership between the unit and First Nation leadership, Brewer feels an immense sense of satisfaction at the end of each shift.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e reconnected with my own culture and also with the two communities I work in,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏eing Indigenous and being a police officer, I have a foot in two worlds every day, and I honestly believe it in my core and in my heart that the work I am doing is making a difference and helping to improve Indigenous relations with police.B次元官网网址�

READ MORE: New funding aims to stop predators from exploiting Greater Victoria youth