OPPA Member Sarah Bowers-Peter led the development of Indigenous Focus Crime Stoppers which won a 2023 OPP Accolade Award for Team Partnership (Community Focus). Sarah joins 10-5 The Official Podcast of the OPP Association to discuss her role as the Program Coordinator - Crime Stoppers Guelph-Wellington and the evolution of Indigenous Focus Crime Stoppers being implemented in Northern Ontario and beyond.

The concept of the initiative was stared in mid 2023 and features Indigenous training for Crime Stoppers Call Centre staff including cultural and geographical awareness, a plan to include Indigenous training at Crime Stoppers annual conference for Coordinators & Board members, and translation of Crime Stoppers materials in all local Indigenous languages.

All of this was accomplished by community visits to discuss how Crime Stoppers works and how it can be customized for Indigenous communities, obtaining permission from Band Councils to engage and get feedback on local issues the Band Council would like addressed, and community tours to see the needs firsthand.

Indigenous Focus Crime Stoppers began in Big Trout Lake, with training in Thunder Bay, in conjunction with the OPP Indigenous Policing Bureau.

The ultimate goal is to roll out the program across the province of Ontario with local Crime Stoppers programs engaging fully with the local Indigenous communities.

To learn more, connect with Sarah through Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington website.

If you have any questions about this episode or ideas for future episodes please email communications@oppa.ca.

Music – “Line of Fire” by Jason Shaw available at Audionautix.com and used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0

The OPP Association is the sole bargaining agent for the close to 10,000 members of the Ontario Provincial Police in Canada. Our members are our focus and our strength. We aim to provide important information to our members and the public about matters that affect policing in the province of Ontario.