A new City Centre Community Policing Office (CPO) in the Richmond downtown area will soon open its doors to the public.
Dozens of community members gathered outside of the new 10,000 square feet building on the corner of Gilbert Road and Granville Avenue to celebrate the forthcoming opening of the new CPO.
Cpl. Ian Henderson, Richmond RCMP spokesperson, said the new space is a much-needed replacement for the older office (4,500 square feet) at No. 3 and Lansdowne roads.
“While a few final touches remain outstanding, Richmond RCMP anticipates opening the new downtown CPO to the public very soon,” he added.
According to previous reports, the new space will allow a designated complement of police officers to be permanently based in the new facility, reducing response times and increasing service time and street-level presence.
The CPO will also allow for on-site processing of offenders and storage of critical emergency response equipment and other supplies.
The News earlier reported that the City Centre area generates just over 1,000 police calls a month, which is 28.6 per cent of all calls.
With tens of thousands of new residents moving into Richmond’s downtown over the next few decades, the City Centre area is anticipated to comprise of about 37 to 41 per cent of the total calls for service by 2030.
- With files from Alan Campbell
