It’s not just great for the children and youth, it’s great for our members as well.
That’s the assertion of Sgt. Thomas O’Hara, the officer in charge of Richmond RCMP’s Youth Section, when asked about the success of the “Yankee 30” program.
The initiative – which involves a non-police support worker from the Ministry of Children and Family Development accompany an officer to a call about an at-risk youth – kicked off in January as a pilot before being made permanent in July.
Since its inception, around 600 calls have been made to the Yankee 30 program, named after the call-sign for that particular service.
And O’Hara lauded the program, believing that it has enabled the police to forge a level of trust with many vulnerable children and youth, who might otherwise be lost down the path to a criminal lifestyle.
“It has been quite surprising how the community accepted this program,” O’Hara told the Richmond News.
“When we first launched it, I would say some members were reporting that many youth had some distrust around it. But since then, with the consistency and them realizing there is a genuine concern for their safety, that has largely changed.
“We would check up on them weekly. Not for the purpose of anything criminal, just asking if there is anything we can help them with…it kind of built up a rapport.”
Support worker's presence is building trust: Sgt. O'Hara
That progress, added O’Hara, is very much down to the presence of the aforementioned government support workers.
“Back in January, there was this one particular youth getting into a lot of trouble with us and his family. He was not on the path to a lifestyle of a law-abiding citizen and he already had certain court conditions imposed on him,” explained O’Hara.
“He wouldn’t engage with us at all. But in last six months, he has changed drastically. Through the supports in this program, he has been able to get a part-time job. He wasn’t going to school. But he went into the alternate program and is looking to going back into the regular school program.”
O’Hara said that, having quick access to a support worker to accompany officers on Yankee 30 calls, has made a world of difference.
“Before Yankee 30, if it’s urgent, trying to get a support worker to attend with us could be somewhat cumbersome,” he said.
“But since this program started, it is much easier for us to engage with (the support workers) and the process is so much more fluid. It’s better for the youth, our officers and the youth’s family.”
The Yankee 30 program is similar to the Fox-80 Mental Health Car, where an officer from Richmond RCMP’s Vulnerable Persons Unit would respond to mental health calls along with a psychiatric nurse from Vancouver Coastal Health.
