Cultural Diversity Advisory Committee
The Fredericton Police Force Cultural Diversity Advisory Committee was established in 2007 as the formal point of contact between the police and representatives in our increasingly diverse community. Chaired by the Deputy Chief of Police, the Advisory Committee is comprised of police officers, government and non-government partners and community members. In 2009 a dedicated Multicultural Liaison police officer was also appointed to the committee to provide specific proactive outreach efforts on behalf of the Fredericton Police Force.
The Fredericton Police Force motto to “serve and protect” applies to all our citizens equally and it is with this motto in mind that we provide professional policing in our community. (From CDAC Terms of Reference)
During a meeting of the Cultural Diversity Committee sharing policing information with newcomers was discussed. It was brought up that many newcomers have similar types of questions. This has also been noticed by the FPF while presenting to newcomers through the Multicultural Association of Fredericton’s English classes. For a last several years newcomers enrolled in English classes have received an “Introduction to Canadian Policing” presentation from the FPF. This provides general information from the police but more importantly it allows interaction with a police officer in a setting that’s comfortable for them. Through these presentations police have been able to personally answer questions and also recognized similar questions are frequently asked.
At CDAC it was discussed that a list of Frequently Asked Questions could be created and posted online for everyone to access. It was noted that not all newcomers go through MCAF so don’t benefit from the presentations. With collaboration from CDAC members the first three questions have been created with the goal of expanding on them in the future. In addition to French and English, with the help of MCAF, the questions were also translated into Arabic, Somali and Mandarin. Those languages were chosen by MCAF as the top common languages spoken by newcomers based on source country.
The questions and answers are available below. Recognizing that newcomers may not search the Fredericton Police Force website, links are also being posted on community websites that serve newcomer populations, such as Immigration Fredericton and Multicultural Association of Fredericton
- CDAC Terms of Reference
- Common Questions from Newcomers
- Arabic - أسئلة شائعة من القادمين الجدد
- Somali - Su, aalaha caadiga ah/guud ee ka yimaada dadka cusub
- Mandarin - 新移民常见问题解答
Seniors Advisory Committee
The Seniors Advisory Committee will strengthen the development and delivery of services, by the Fredericton Police Force, to seniors in the greater Fredericton area.
GOALS OF THE SAC
- Provide advice and guidance on the development and delivery of initiatives for seniors.
- Support the Fredericton Police Force in delivering services to seniors.
- Act as a sounding board for new ideas.
- Relate to other stakeholder organizations with an interest in seniors.
- Participate in training sessions for stakeholder organizations.
- Serve as a forum to identify and discuss barriers to effective involvement by seniors in ownership of their own safety and security.
- Serve as a forum to identify and celebrate successes.
- Take a proactive role in identifying Fredericton’s seniors' safety and security needs.
- Bring forward ideas for improvement of existing initiatives.
- Promote the importance of a safe and secure environment for seniors.