Ridge Meadows

2025-05-09 11:39 PDT

File # Public Advisory

Ridge Meadows RCMP now has a dedicated team tasked with providing a visible police presence in the downtown core of Maple Ridge.

Building off the success of previous efforts in the area, the Ridge Meadows RCMP’s Crime Reduction Unit (CRU) has a revised mandate to focus primarily on proactively engaging with residents, business owners, and citizens in downtown Maple Ridge through foot and bicycle patrols.

In partnership with the City of Maple Ridge’s Community Safety Officers (CSOs) and the Downtown Maple Ridge Business Improvement Association (DMRBIA), the primary objective of CRU is to identify pervasive community concerns within the downtown core and devise project-based solutions. In the past, this type of police presence was provided only on a short-term basis. Officers will now have a more consistent presence to ensure a visible and accessible public safety presence in the downtown core.

In 2024, 39% of all calls for police service in Maple Ridge originated in the town centre area of the city. This was the basis for previous foot patrols last summer, where officers spent 248 hours patrolling the area on foot and engaged with businesses over 375 times and with citizens/clients over 460 times.

We listened to the community’s feedback and the numbers speak for themselves, says Sergeant Joe Whalley, Ridge Meadows RCMP Specialized Response Team. We know that residents and business feel safer and more inclined to speak with officers on foot about issues in the area.

Since April 17th, 2025 when CRU officers started their regular patrols, the team has already logged over a hundred kilometers on foot and bikes in the downtown core engaging with residents, business, and clients to ensure public safety. A number of warrants, arrests, and violation tickets have already been issued along with drugs and paraphernalia seized.

A typical day for the team may involve speaking with members of the community about their concerns, assisting in identifying missing persons, interacting with vulnerable people, liaising with bylaws and CSOs, and finding stolen property and returning it to the rightful owner.

The Ridge Meadows RCMP is committed to providing a visible, proactive, and community-driven approach to policing. By building trust and further engaging with residents and businesses in the Maple Ridge downtown core, this will help promote approachability and accessibility with the end goal of reducing calls for service and making a more vibrant downtown area for everyone.

We encourage everyone to stop and say hello to our officers who are out in the community, says Constable Peter Chetwynd, Ridge Meadows RCMP CRU. We look forward to meeting as many people as possible and answering their questions and concerns about public safety.

Released by:

Email: tisha.parsons@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Website: ridgemeadows.rcmp.ca (English only)