No one has the right to hurt another person. There is no reason that justifies this. However, family violence continues to be a problem in our society today. There are statistics to show that it exists but these statistics only reflect the reported matters. A lot of incidents of violence which occur in families does not get reported. Family members live in fear of an abusive spouse for years before reporting any incidents to the police or other agencies. How could one be silent if someone was hurting them or their children? I don’t really know the answer to that but there are perhaps many factors involved. Fear is probably the biggest motivator for silence. The offenders are afraid of being exposed, of having to go to court, of losing control, so they resort to assaults, threats, terrorizing, and belittling the victims so that they will be silent. The offenders seldom accept responsibility for their actions and often try to blame their victims when they are faced with criminal charges.

If you are a victim of family violence, you may be asking, what can I do? Well, if you are threatened or abused either physically or sexually, there is help available. You can:

1. Call the police.

2. Go to a shelter or safe house.

3. Pursue criminal charges.

4. Apply for a peace bond.

5. Consult a lawyer.

If you and/or your children are in immediate danger, LEAVE. I repeat LEAVE. Call the police immediately and provide all the details you can to the investigating officer. The police officer will know and will assist you in contacting the appropriate agencies to help you with accomodation, counselling and other needs. Do not leave yourself and/or your children in an unsafe environment.

The police will fully investigate your report and if the evidence is sufficient they will arrest and/or serve a summons on the offender. The evidence will be presented in court and a judge will make a decision as to guilt or innocence and sentence the offender accordingly.

There are no guarantees when you make a report that the offender will be convicted of the offence. I can only tell you the majority of offenders brought to court on family violence matters are convicted. I can guarantee that if you don’t report it the offender will definitely go free. The RCMPolice community policing office in Bell Island want you to know that we will investigate every instance of family violence to the fullest degree.

If you or your children are victims of family violence, ask your self this question: Are you and your children worth the effort? There is only one answer to this question - YES!!! Any effort that works towards ending family violence is worth it. Remember, EVERYONE IS WORTHY OF RESPECT. Should you wish to discuss this topic feel free to contact our office at any time. Here is a list of agencies who you can call to get more information or help on this topic:

RCMPolice Community Policing Office, Bell Island, Nfld.
Ph#709-488-3312

Department of Human Resources and Employment
Bell Island, Nfld.
Ph# 709-488-3376

Community Health Services
Bell Island, Nfld.
709-488-2701
overnight emergency #709-738-4800

Victim Services
St. John’s, Nfld.
Ph#709-729-0900

Iris Kirby House
St. John’s, Nfld.
Ph#709-753-1492

Perhaps some have made New Year resolutions and are keeping them because during January month only 36 calls for service were received by the Bell Island RCMPolice Community Policing office. Most of the calls were calls for assistance or minor criminal matters.

Details of a few of the reports during January month are as follows:

On 99-01-04, a 70 year old Bell Island woman was charged with theft as a result of a report of shoplifting at a local business. She will appear in provincial court, St. John’s on 99-02-10 to enter a plea on this matter.

A 30 year old Bell Island male was arrested on 99-01-05 for uttering threats and common assault. The charges result from a report of a disturbance outside his girlfriend’s residence received at approximately 8:30 am on 99-01-05. The woman received minor injuries as a result of this incident. Further investigation resulted in the man being charged with two further counts of uttering threats and a charge of common assault. A bail hearing was held and the man was released to appear in court on 99-02-10.

Also on 99-01-05, a report was received regarding the Verge House on Memorial St., Bell Island, Nfld. A person or persons had damaged the railing on one side of the veranda of this residence.

On 99-01-06 a resident of Lance Cove reported a vacant shed had been illegally entered. No damage occurred and nothing was taken.

On 99-01-06, a report was received from a 53 year old Bell Island woman who was being disturbed by youths. Two Bell Island youths were apprehended as a result of a police investigation. One youth has been charged with mischief and breach of probation and will appear in Provincial Court, St. John’s, Nfld on 99-04-14. The other youth is a first time offender and has been recommended for youth diversion.

On 99-01-17, a 14 year old Bell Island youth was apprehended for drinking under age. The youth is a first time offender and has been recommended for the youth diversion program.

A 37 year old Bell Island male has been charged with assault on a 20 year old Bell Island male on Fourth St., Bell Island. This resulted from a report received by the police on 99-01-23.

The man will appear in provincial court, St. John’s on 99-04-14.

Youth are our communities greatest resource. They are the leaders of tomorrow so it is important to present a positive outlook to them. It is important they see that good deeds and actions do not go unnoticed. Many times youth and people see the police as the ones who always show up when something is wrong. Well, in part that’s what we do. When a crime is committed we respond and investigate.

Some may view this negatively but I look at it as helping a person accept responsibility for their mistakes. Only then can a person change and move forward with their lives.

However, recognizing the efforts of our youth towards community policing has a positive effect on the youth and the community. This month Cst. Nancy Burton awarded two tickets to a St. John’s Maple Leafs hockey game to a local Bell Island boy. Gerald Kyle Hynes age 7 was presented the tickets for his efforts towards community policing in December 1998. Gerald enjoyed the game on 99-02-02. The periodic presentation of tickets such as these are part of an ongoing community policing awareness program for the RCMPolice Community Policing office on Bell Island.

Another pleasant experience with the youth of Bell Island occurred on 99-02-08. On this date, two grade three students were chosen to be police officers for the day. Leanna Carbage and Kenneth Tobin donned their uniforms early on the morning of February eight and reported for duty at the RCMPolice Community Policing office at Bell Island. Cst. Hazel Duncan assigned them their duties for the day on their arrival at the police station. They had a busy day visiting the schools, community officials and businesses before leaving Bell Island on the ferry to report in at RCMPolice Headquarters in St. John’s. Kenneth’s mom was on the ferry at the time they crossed. She was in the ambulance and was being taken to the hospital in St. John’s to have a baby. Kenneth sat in the ambulance with his mother during the ferry crossing. Later that day he learned he had a new baby sister. Both Leanna and Kenneth met Assistant Commissioner Larry Warren at the RCMP Headquarters and were presented with a model police car. After a quick lunch at MacDonald’s, they arrived home on Bell Island and completed their shift at 3:00 pm. One would think they would have been exhausted after such a demanding day but both were talking excitedly about their day. They left the office with a sparkle in their eyes and lots of stories to tell their parents, relatives and friends.

Cst. Tony Griffiths has been working with the youth advisory committee on Bell Island during the past year. The object of this committee is to have imput from the youth into community policing. It is important to know the opinions of our youth on what the RCMP are doing right and what areas that could be improved.

Our featured member this month is Cst. Nancy Burton. Cst. Burton has completed two years of service with the RCMPolice as of February 1999. She is the junior member of the Bell Island Community Policing office.

Nancy was born in Tillsonburg, Ontario. Her family later moved to Prince Edward Island and were involved in farming tobacco. She completed her high school years in Montague and later attended the University of Prince Edward Island. She graduated from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario in 1993 with an Honours degree in Commerce. She decided to join the RCMPolice in August 1996 and in Febrruary 1997 she was posted to the RCMPolice Community Policing office in Bell Island.

Cst. Burton has been actively involved as the liaison officer with the local Alcoholics Anonymous group and in the recently formed Bell Island Food Bank which will open its doors on February 22, 1999. She is also involved in a number of other community initiatives one of which was the organization of the annual RCMP/Masonic Lodge Christmas party for Bell Island children. Nancy also enjoys a number of leisure time activities such as horseback riding, crafts, reading, gardening, curling, etc.

Nancy recently got married on

General Electric VCR model 4029, serial number 328410693; a 20 inch Sanyo; a souvenir pen and pencil set given to her husband (now deceased) for 25 years of service with IOC. The brand name of this set is "Cross" and engraved on the case is the following:

A number of Bell Island residents appeared in Provincial court, St. John’s during the month of January 1999 and up to February 11, 1999. The following is a list of convictions:

The trial of a 53 year old Bell Island woman charged with possession of stolen property was held on 99-01-13. This charge resulted from an incident in August 1998 when the woman purchased some stolen property from a 13 year old Bell Island youth. The woman was convicted of this offence and was given a conditional discharge and placed on probation for a period of six months.

Also on 99-01-13 a 30 year old Bell Island man was convicted of breach of probation and was sentenced to serve 14 days in jail. This stems from an incident which occurred in April 1998.

A 41 year old Bell Island woman was convicted on 99-01-14 of causing a disturbance at a local licenced establishment. The offence occurred on 98-10-04. She was given a suspended sentence and placed on probation for a period of 9 months. One of the conditions of her probation is that she is not to enter the licenced establishment.

A 46 year old Bell Island man charged in the same incident of causing a disturbance mentioned above went to trial on 99-01-14. The charge was dismissed due to insufficient evidence.

A 48 year old Bell Island man entered a plea of guilty to a charge of breach of probation on 99-01-14. The man was on probation as a result of a conviction of sexual assault on a young child and a condition of the probation stated that he have no contact with the child. The man breached this condition on three occassions. He was sentenced to 14 days in jail and his probation order was extended for a further period of one year.

On 99-02-10, a 34 year old Bell Island man was convicted of possession of marihuana. He was fined $82.50 and given 60 days to pay the fine.

A 44 year old Bell Island man was convicted on 99-02-10 for an offence of care and control of a motor vehicle while impaired. He was fined $300 and prohibited from driving for a period of 12 months.

A 30 year old Bell Island man entered pleas of guilty on 99-02-10 to two charges of common assault, two of uttering threats and one of damage to property. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail and upon his release he is placed on probation for a period of three years.

Also on 99-02-10, a 38 year old Bell Island man entered a plea of guilty to a charge of attempted forcible entry into a residence. The man attempted to enter the residence of his common law girlfriend with the use of a pick axe. He was convicted and received a suspended sentence and was placed on probation for a period of two years.

On 99-02-11 a trial was held in relation to a 31 year old Bell Island man charged with obstructing a police officer. He was convicted and received a conditional discharge and was placed on probation for a period of six months.

Traffic tickets issued 7

Written warnings 30

Roadside suspensions 1

Members of the Community Policing office also conducted 7 checkpoints durng January. Efforts toward Traffic enforcement will continue during the coming months.

It seems this newsletter is being well received by the residents of Bell Island. We have received a number of positive comments in relation to the newsletter which are certainly encouraging. The unsolved crime of the month feature has generated a few calls from some offering information on the featured crime. This information is useful and has assisted us in our investigations. It should be known that no information is useless. Each piece is a part of the puzzle which together helps toward a successful resolution of a crime. We would welcome any comments (positive or negative) or any suggestions on how we can improve this newsletter. The purpose of this newsletter is to inform the residents of Bell Island of what is happening in relation to community policing in this area. It can only be improved with imput from the community. Should you wish to discuss this or any other topic relating to community policing contact the RCMPolice Bell Island Community Policing office (ph#709-488-3312).

RESPONSIBILITY

IS THE

KEY

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