New police station opens in Transcona

A much-anticipated Winnipeg Police Service station that will serve northeast and south Winnipeg was officially opened last week.

The new station was officially opened Friday, Oct. 3 at 1750 Dugald Road in Transcona. It is an amalgamation of the former District 4 station, located at 730 Pandora Ave. in Transcona, and the former District 5 station, located at 227 Provencher Ave. in St. Boniface.

It is the first of three new police facilities for Winnipeg police as the service makes a switch from its current ,six-district configuration to a new, four-district model.

“If anything it will improve response times because we have more members responding to more areas,” said Const. Jacqueline Chaput.

“All the officers in (the new) building can be dispatched anywhere in District 14 and 15. Before, it was very territorial and officers had to stay in their district in case there was an emergency, but this will allow us to have more officers on the street who are able respond quickly to a call.”

At 32,000 sq. ft., the new station is larger than the former District 4 and 5 stations combined.

The new facility will house uniform operations, a plainclothes investigation unit, a service centre and a community support unit.

Insp. Alex Katz described the new station as “very modern.”

Staff Sgt. Henry Hagenaars added: “The first thing officers noticed was just how bright and cheery it is.”

Coun. Gord Steeves, who chairs city council’s protection committee, said the new facility was needed.

“There are a few different reasons for the change. Mainly it is because policing has changed over the last couple of years,”said Steeves (St. Vital).

“It is much more car-based policing. The police have to get to more distant locations and in faster time and, as such, police are spending a lot more time out of the stations. Communication is such now that officers can access pretty much anything they need in their car. Bricks and mortar aren’t as needed as they once were.”

Not everyone is pleased about the opening of the new station. Some residents, such as June Bell of St. Vital, are concerned the closure of the former District 5 station will mean longer response times in some areas.

Police and city officials counter that the new station will actually help reduce response times.

Steeves said the new policing model means more officers will be deployed on the streets rather than stuck behind desks.

“Generally, if someone is having a problem they will call 911, and for that we need officers on the street who can respond quickly,” he said.

Steeves said that residents will still be able to use the non-emergency service centre located at 1086 St. Mary’s Road to report non-emergency issues.

He added there are no specific plans for where and when the two other police service stations will be built.

One location being considered is the Canada Post building on Graham Avenue, which could be used as a police super station. A potential site for the west district station is the old ambulance station on Grant Avenue.

The city has not yet made a decision on either of the two locations, Steeves said.