The Saint John Police Force is looking to take a more holistic approach to health and wellness for its members.
It is one of the 31 priority areas the municipal police force is looking to tackle over the coming year.
Chief Robert Bruce unveiled the 2024 priorities during a police commission meeting on Tuesday.
“We really strive to have a healthy community, but what are we doing for our own members,” Bruce said of the ‘Fit for Duty’ initiative.
“We have to be not only mentally fit but physically fit, psychologically fit, resilient, prepared. We have support our members, support their families.”
The 31 priorities are based around the five priority areas of the force’s strategic plan: community engagement; operational efficiency; focus on talent development; financial sustainability; and improve our brand.
Bruce said another one of their priorities this year is operational readiness, which involves finding efficiencies within the force.
“We’re really taking a deeper dive into the things that we should be going to and maybe the things that we shouldn’t be going to,” he said.
The force has rolled out a number of programs aimed at allowing frontline officers to be more readily available for emergency calls and proactive policing.
Dispatchers can now direct non-emergency calls to the alternative response unit, where a police officer will respond to the complaint by phone and direct them to the appropriate division for more investigation, if needed.
Residents and businesses can also report certain crimes online now rather than having to phone police.
Bruce said the force’s new records management system will also allow them to put three sergeants back on the road.
“We’re hiring three civilian members … who will be able to review reports and send them back or send them up to where they need to go or finish them off,” he said.
“Instead of our officers struggling with that piece, they can be out on the road.”
The full list of priorities can be found by clicking here.
