SYDNEY, NS, August 19, 2012 – The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today presented this year's Minister of Justice National Youth Justice Policing Award to members of the Prince Albert Police Service.
The award was presented at the annual conference of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) in Sydney, Nova Scotia. The Prince Albert Police Service's Community Mobilization Prince Albert program is the winner of the thirteenth annual award.
“I am proud to recognize this year's award recipients, whose hard work has instilled in troubled youth a sense of responsibility for their actions and helped them make smarter choices,” said Minister Nicholson. “These officers have demonstrated an outstanding level of personal dedication and commitment in finding innovative solutions to tackling the issue of youth crime, all in an effort to help make our streets and communities safer.”
This year's award winners are Sergeant Brent Kalinowski and Constable Mathew Gray of the Prince Albert Police Service. The Community Mobilization Prince Albert concept and approach was started in 2011. The program promotes collaboration between provincial partners and non-government organizations - such as schools, mental health and addictions agencies, probation and police services. By providing these organizations with an opportunity to share information, they are able to intervene in the lives of youth and prevent them from heading down the wrong path. The program's success has attracted provincial and national attention, with many communities interested in replicating the process.
The Minister of Justice National Youth Justice Police Award is sponsored by the Department of Justice Canada in collaboration with the CACP. Award criteria include innovation and creativity and the use of community-based resources as alternatives to formal court processes. Also considered are effective uses of police discretion, conferencing, alternatives to custody and the rehabilitation and reintegration of youth in conflict with the law.
For more information about the Award, the winners and nominees, please visit Minister of Justice National Youth Justice Policing Award 2012.
Backgrounder: Minister of Justice National Youth Justice Policing Award 2012
