A former Winnipeg police chief is working with the provincial government in the creation of a new public safety training strategy.
Devon Clunis, who served as the city’s top cop from 2012-2016, now runs a consulting firm and was tapped by the province in late 2022 to head up a steering committee for the new program.
“I’ve long believed that our province could be an example for others,” Clunis said in a statement Wednesday.
“This initiative is poised to be world-class in delivering community-centric public safety personnel training for the 21st century.
“During a time of immense, often chaotic social and cultural change in our communities, we are optimistic that our work will help navigate these challenging times.”
Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen said the goal of the training strategy is to make sure there’s a common, provincially-approved curriculum with a focus on community and culturally-relevant factors.
“Accountability, supported by consistent standards, oversight and training, is central to ensuring Manitobans have confidence in their law enforcement officers,” Goertzen said, adding that there’s no consistent province-wide training for police and peace officers.
Clunis is co-chairing the committee along with former Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs grand chief Ron Evans. Fifteen others — with experience in law enforcement, education, justice and corrections, Indigenous governance, municipal politics, and more — have also been appointed as committee members.
Among the members is another familiar name to Winnipeggers — former city police chief Jack Ewatski, now the public safety chair at Assiniboine Community College. Ewatski was Winnipeg’s police chief from 1998-2007.
Comments