Walking in Waterloo Region

[dtkvictim]

Koban! These are everywhere in Japan. And, yes, that's a police bicycle parked in front. Note the holder at the front for the keijou (stick).

Exactly what I had in mind. I don't know what other countries do this, and how the implementation differs, but I've mostly heard about them in the Japanese context. And after visiting Japan I was surprised at how natural and in-place they felt. You certainly see a lot more cops on bikes there too.

I'm curious, are you living in a house, apartment building or a smaller multiplex building?

I'd rather not be overly specific, but it's a mixed use, King St fronting building. Historically I think the whole building was businesses; my apartment still has a little hidden branding from an old business.

I understand the opposition, but only in the context of having given up on improving the police.

Absolutely. I think with a healthy civilian-police relationship, police presence should be welcomed rather than imposed.

I think the idea is that the identifiable group decides on its own to appoint some of its own people to do this. So not necessarily that different from the universities encouraging their students to be good neighbours. I can even imagine the regular police calling the group-specific wardens for minor issues; if the group (whichever one it is) is willing and able to work with its members to address issues, this may be more successful than anything the police can do.

In another context, Canadian Rangers are also mostly (but not exclusively) First Nations. It depends on the buy-in from the community. The minor issues probably should be dealt with in the community, and we should use restorative justice more.

Fair points. I suppose if the "wardens" are a part of the group, and are brought into existence by the group's collective reflection on specifically internal issues, then I don't see any issue.