The New Westminster Police Department is hosting a "coffee with a cop" to offer the community an opportunity to talk about local policing on Thursday, Oct. 10.
The event runs from noon to 3 p.m. and is the second coffee with a cop hosted in New West, billed as a "non-scripted open forum."
“This is an opportunity for us to listen to community members and answer any questions they have,” stated acting Chief Const. Dave Jansen in a statement. “Interacting with the community is a key part of the policing role and it is something we do in a variety of different forms. The more we are in tune with the community, the more we understand the needs of the community.”
In the first event, peole asked questions about the law or "simply (had) a chat about what's on their mind," according to a news release.
“This is really a more formal version of what we do all the time,” said Sgt. Jeff Scott. “Whenever we go into coffee shops, people ask questions and engage with you. Events like this break down barriers and it becomes a less intimidating situation.”
The NWPD is encouraging people to bring a reusable coffee cup to the event at the 601 Columbia Street Starbucks.
