There's More to Innovative Policing in Vancouver than Olympic Security - Transit Police Issue a Postitive Ticket to Kids caught doing the Right Things
Metro Vancouver’s Transit Police are issuing Positive Tickets to kids doing the “right” things as part of their relationship policing efforts aimed at reducing crime and making the region’s transit system safer.
Police Officers with the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Police Service have thousands of vouchers and coupons that they hand out to kids, offering free activities and rewards.
The Positive Tickets are issued by Transit Police Officers to youth as a way of recognizing good behaviour, good deeds and positive actions. The Positive Tickets are used as an innovative tool in a community-based outreach effort aimed at connecting with youth who ride Metro Vancouver’s public transit system to attempt to build trust and, ultimately, forge positive relationships between police and young people.
The Positive Tickets, 4,000 of which were made available to the Transit Police by the City of Richmond, offer youth (ages 5 to 18) the opportunity to swim, skate and golf for free at City recreational facilities. Burger King Canada has also made available to the Transit Police a number of coupons to pass on to kids for free drinks and snacks at their restaurants. Translink, Metro Vancouver’s public transit authority, has partnered with the Transit Police to also provide 2,000 free three-zone transit tickets that will enable young people to use public transit to get to the City recreational facilities where the City of Richmond is offering free activities.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Officers in the City of Richmond are also participating in the Positive Ticket program with 6,000 free tickets to issue to youth in Richmond.
The Positive Ticket program was first pioneered nearly a decade ago by Transit Police Chief Officer Ward Clapham when he was in his former role as the Officer Commanding the Richmond Detachment of the RCMP.
The idea started with a simple vision: cops catching kids for doing things right.
This vision is based on the notion that police officers can prevent crime and human tragedy by helping point kids in the right direction by simply bonding with them and building a relationship of trust. By proactively identifying and recognizing the positive behaviour of young people, police officers can become a community asset in the lives of young people, helping reinforce positive youth development.
“We’re using this positive outreach tool in the Transit Police Service to amplify the power of relationship policing,” explained Transit Police Chief Officer Ward Clapham.
“When I first launched the program with the Richmond RCMP a number of years ago, we saw a 50% reduction in calls related to negative youth activities in Richmond after three years of this program and other proactive youth engagement efforts.”
Clapham explained that the Positive Ticket program is based on advanced leadership principles which include the principle that your people are your most valuable asset and you should constantly strengthen that asset by recognizing people for doing the “right” thing.
For further information or to set up an interview with Chief Ward Clapham, contact..
Sgt. Tom Seaman
Transit Police Media Relations
604 512 4734