New West police chief takes Anchor reader questions

If you haven’t had a chance to read Part 1 of our sit-down with New Westminster’s police chief Dave Jansen, take a look at it here.

As part of our one-on-one discussion with Chief Constable Dave Jansen, we asked New West Anchor subscribers to submit their questions to us. The most popular topic was traffic, though there were other questions about budgets and the chief’s presence at local events.

Traffic

Why are vehicles with hidden license plates, and often covered brake lights, routinely allowed to pass through the Royal City?—Anonymous

Where is the enforcement of our traffic laws? Where is the speed enforcement other than the Stewardson speed trap?—Matt L.

Where is the visible police presence around town? Especially on foot or even bike? Why can’t there be more regular patrols around downtown New West where there have been a few violent incidents lately?—Mona

“It’s certainly not anything that we’re purposely doing, but I think it simply comes down to what our officers are doing. Prioritizing their response,” says Jansen who notes that there are things that he, as a resident of New West, also sees and wishes he could do more to fix. “I’m up in different areas, in parks and stuff, and I get frustrated as a chief that I see people speeding in school zones or parks zones.”

Jansen added he would like to see more programs supporting alternate modes of transportation like bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters, but understands there are staffing issues at the city. “The reality is we’re not going to build ourselves out of this. We’re not going to build more roads… There’d just be more cars on the road. We all need to do better.”

Morale

How would you describe the morale of our police force in New Westminster, given the current ‘defund the police’ climate?—Madmardigan on Twitter

“I guess what I would say is this: the whole concept of police is that we are here to be what the community wants us to be,” says Jansen. “Though, I don’t think some people think this, but we’re just the community who have been entrusted to enforce the laws. And what’s important in the community is important to us.”

Jansen made reference to an example of how things have recently changed in schools. As he’d mentioned in Part 1, while he respected the decision to end the Child and Youth Liaison Officer program, he’s said he understands the point of view from New West Schools, and isn’t upset about the choice—but disappointed that he wasn't made a part of discussions.

“I also recognize that others don’t see it that way. We’re not going to change any way that we respond to schools and safety issues that arise, or presentations that there might be,” says Jansen, who adds that the past few years have certainly been an opportunity for learning, especially with the larger conversations tied to the Black Lives Matter movement.

“All I want is for our community to be safe. I want my child to go to school and be safe,” says Jansen, who adds that having a police officer in a school may not necessarily make a place more safe or more dangerous. “I do think, especially with the elementary school, there’s a joy there.” In the case of elementary schools, he feels it’s more about how excited kids get when they are visited by first responders.

“They’re excited to see firefighters, they’re excited to see [paramedics], they’re excited to see the crossing guard. I just think there’s a way that we can build ourselves as a community closer together.”

Local presence

I am wondering why you aren’t visible in the community? You seem to be able to show up to media interviews, but rarely show up to answer questions from the business community?—Anonymous

“I’m not quite sure the form in which [the person who asked the question] is saying I haven’t shown up to, but every time I’ve been invited, I’ve gone,” says Jansen, adding that there was a downtown business meeting where the deputy went and he didn’t.

“I guess what I would say to [the person who asked the question] is that I’m more than willing, and capable, and eager to meet with any group who wants to meet with me. I’m out walking at almost every festival. Sometimes I’m not in uniform, sometimes I’m in plainclothes, but feel free to grab me anytime and ask me any questions.”

Even when Jansen is with his daughter, Parker, he says he’s willing to talk. He says it’s common for him to take questions and chat with locals when they go for a walk in the city.

Budget

New West Anchor also received a number of overlapping questions about budget, including whether the current amount of money earmarked for the force was too much or not enough. There were also some questions about the breakdown of the NWPD funding from the various levels of government. As was the case in Part 1 of our interview, he cited worries about the number of officers, which he says hasn’t really changed since 2001.

“The population has gone up a lot and it’s a challenge for the city, I think, as a smaller community with budgets—and cops aren’t cheap—to grow your department, to match the growth of your community,” explains Jansen.

As for federal and provincial funding, the money provided by those two levels of government goes towards integrated teams, and the Victim Assistance Unit. 

Is there someone in the city you’d like New West Anchor to chat one-on-one with? Reply to any of our newsletters with a suggestion, or email [email protected].