Pathfinders program frees up police to do their jobs, says Yellowknife officer

The Pathfinders pilot program in Yellowknife has helped free up local RCMP to focus on more of their job duties, including catching more drunk drivers, says one officer.

For many years, "repeat customers" of the RCMP were putting in hundreds of calls to police per year largely for complaints or personal situations that aren't criminal in nature. As a result, officerswere taken away from their duties and investigations.

"It takes us away from our key role," said Inps. Matt Peggs with the Yellowknife RCMP.

But after police partnered up with the Department of Justice on the integrated case management program also known as Pathfinders Peggs says he's seen an increase in drunk driving charges in the city, and a decrease in calls from their high frequencycallers.

"Which I think is positive in the way that I know that my members are out enforcing impaired driving, which is important to everybody," said Peggs.

• Pathfinders help Yellowknife's needy find help in sea of government services

Pathfinders helps participantsfind the programsthat are catered to their needs. The program has been operating for nearly two years and is rooted inthe idea thatthose in needoften just need help navigating the agencies and services that already exist to assistthem.

Impaireddriving charges up 41%

RCMPhas been referring some of their frequent callers to pathfinders, or case managers,who work directly with program participants.

Of the 15 high frequency callers the police saw on a regular basis, six of them were referred to the Pathfinders program, saysPeggs.

Overall, he says police saw 17 per cent less calls come in to theRCMPand fire department from thoseindividuals.

Peggs says between April 1 and now, drunkdriving charges were up 41 per cent compared to the same time period last year.

He says it's a win-win for both police, and their callers.

"We now have the time to be able todo [our jobs], and flip side of that coin also is, I think that the individuals that we were dealing with prior, are now getting access to things that may in fact help them rather than just the revolving mill of emergency services."

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