Annual RPS round dance brings together community
- EFN Staff | February 15, 2017
In a gym packed with hundreds of dancers and spectators, the Regina Police Service (RPS) hosted their 10th annual round dance in an effort to bring the community together.
Regina Police Chief Evan Bray says the round dance is a celebration and an opportunity to honour the community and to unite all people together.
“When you talk about things like reconciliation and moving forward, the round dance is a testament to how we can do that as a community if we all have the same goal,” he says.
In early November, Chief Bray was sworn in as the new police chief and has been apart of the RPS for over 20 years and says the new position is going very well.
“It’s a busy job but it’s a very rewarding job. Nights like [the round dance] are really what make this job so worthwhile,” he adds. “Getting out into the community, meeting people, understanding what they like and what they would like to see change. There’s so much good dialogue that happens [at a round dance] and it really is rewarding.”
The annual event is held at the Al Ritchie Community Centre gym and Chief Bray recalls when the RPS first hosted the round dance, the seats weren’t as full as they were this year.
“We had one row of chairs all around the outside of the Al Ritchie gym and they weren’t full. You look around and you see four rows all around the gym,” he says. “To me, that is a testament to the community, the strength of the community, and the trust the people have in our police service, I just could not be happier.”
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Cpl.Angela Desjarlais who has been with the Regina Police Service for 20 years says she was excited to be part of the annual round dance, which has brought the RPS and the people in the community together.
“I hope people take away from the round dance is our effort to make positive connections with the community, to build relationships and partnerships,” she says. “The response from the community is really positive. They’re very happy for us to take part and engage with them.”
Part of Cpl. Desjarlais’s position is the Aboriginal recruitment liaison officer and she uses this opportunity to recruit future police officers.
“I want people to get out there and see my face, see other officers faces and realize that policing potentially could be in their future if they so hoped,” she adds.
Al Ritchie has been a great home for the RPS to host the annual round dance but unfortunately, they might be thinking of moving the event to a bigger location for next year.
“We’re to the point where we can’t almost fit in there…we will have to see where we can get to and what we can book space for 2018,” says Chief Bray.