Good Community Police Work
2 MP Regiment Connects with Canadians in Northern Ontario
By Capt J.H. MacDonald, JTFC Public Affairs
When 10 year-old Camryn Irvine missed the public visit to Exercise TRILLIUM RESPONSE 2012 (Ex TR 12) in Cochrane, ON, by a few days her mother, a CIC officer, called Ex TR 12 staff and asked if they could accommodate one more visitor. Military Police were only too pleased to oblige with a hands-on tour of an MP vehicle and a gift - an MP “Hero Bear”. Camryn, a student at École Catholique Nouveau Regard in Cochrane, collected photos and information on Ex TR 12 for a school project.
“This is all part of good community police work” said Ex TR 12 Provost Marshal Capt Dave Patten of 2 Military Police Regiment (2 MP Regiment). “One of the aims of this exercise is to connect with Canadians and demonstrate that the CF is ready and able to assist them. As military police supporting Ex TR 12, we’re contributing to safety through police and EMS liaison, traffic control and patrolling in the exercise area.” he said.
2 MP Regiment deployed a 7 member detachment to Ex TR 12, with MP presence in Cochrane, and Hearst, Ontario. The purpose of Ex TR 12 was to increase CF operational readiness by practicing joint, interagency, domestic operations in support of a simulated large scale commercial aircraft crash in a remote area during the winter months. Nearly 600 personnel from 2 CMBG, 32 CBG, and the RCAF’s 1 Wing and 8 Wing participated in the week-long exercise conducted by Joint Task Force Central (JTFC).
2 MP Regiment members provided real-time policing in support of the exercise and worked alongside OPP officers who deployed on Ex TR 12 to test their own capabilities during a major air disaster. “Working with civilian partners is all about rapport building and professional respect,” said Cpl Chris Partridge, a Patrolman with 2 MP Regiment stationed in Hearst during Ex TR 12. “At the end of the day it’s about being at your best in full view of your civilian police colleagues, other CF members and connecting the CF with the public we serve,” he said.
2 MP Regiment real-time policing support was demonstrated February 23, when the Hearst Detachment dispatched a patrol at 11:30 p.m. to the remote area around Robin Lake to link up and establish communications with Ex TR 12 troops on behalf of exercise controllers. The round-trip 160km call included a 10km snowshoe trek through waist deep snow to reach their call. “You might say we made a positive footprint here,” said MCpl Fred Hill.
Hero Bears are a fundraising initiative directly supporting the Military Police Fund for Blind Children. Anyone can buy one and the proceeds go to helping visually impaired children. For more information about Hero Bears or the Military Police Fund for Blind Children, visit:
Military Police Fund for Blind Children
SECURITAS.
