RCMP in Yellowknife mark National Police Week with open house, public barbecue

Members of the RCMP and its partner agencies gathered at RCMP Headquarters earlier this week to mark National Police Week. (John McFadden/CKLB photo)

Mounties in Yellowknife and their partners celebrated National Police Week earlier this week with a public barbecue and open house at RCMP “G” Division Headquarters.

Citizens were treated to free hotdogs and hamburgers as officers, some dressed in their iconic serge uniforms, mingled and shared with visitors information about what all they do for us.

RCMP also used the event as a recruiting opportunity, making it clear that they are indeed hiring.

Inspector Alex Laporte, head of the Yellowknife detachment, wants people to understand the job the Mounties perform can be a tough one, but it would be that much more difficult without the assistance of their partners.

“It’s important for all our partners to work together. To gather ourselves here that’s one aspect of it.
It allows us to celebrate and show our support for each other and the community at large,” Laporte said.
It’s also important for our partner agencies to see the support and feel the support they get from us and the public. There’s a lot of good work being done here in the North.”

Those partnering agencies include the city’s Municipal Enforcement Division (MED), often referred to as bylaw, Environment and Natural Resources (ENR), Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), Environment and Climate Change Canada, Department of National Defence Military Police, Canadian Border Services, Correctional Services as well firefighters and paramedics across the territory.

About the Author

John McFadden
John has been in the broadcast journalism industry since the 1980s. He has been a reporter in Yellowknife since 2012 and joined CKLB in January of 2018. John covers the crime and court beat as well as reporting on other areas including politics, business, entertainment and sports. He won seven national community newspaper awards while he was a journalist with Northern News Services Limited (NNSL). John worked in Ontario before coming North including stints as a TV sportscaster in Peterborough and senior news writer for CBC and CTV in downtown Toronto.