Grande Prairie Police Service Chief Dwayne Lakusta has officially been sworn in as Swan City’s top cop and says the work on building a police force from the ground up is well underway.
Lakusta, who arrived on Monday, says that nearly 30 years in law enforcement, including with the Edmonton Police Service for 26 years, and serving as CEO of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team, has prepared him for the chance to help create a new model of policing in Grande Prairie. He adds despite that experience, Grande Prairie will presumably provide its own unique challenges.
“Now it’s time to roll up the sleeves, get to work, work with the community, with council and the commission, and grow a very successful police service for the residents of Grande Prairie,” he says.
“A lot of similarities when it comes to crime patterns, but every community is a little bit different. You’ll see nuances as far as crime patterns, who some of the players are, and what resources are available, and that’s part of my transition here, getting to know partners we have so we can build a successful response team,” he adds.
Lakusta says the community will play a large role in helping set the course for the police force in the city, and he is hoping to speak to as many groups and residents as possible to help get the best understanding of the thoughts and concerns of those they serve.
“The community is part of the police service, we can’t just rely on the police officers deployed on the street, we need to work directly with the community, whether they’re reporting crime, whether they’re working with the police service, whether we have resources available to assist the complex needs, people who are suffering from some kind of mental wellness or addictions problem,” he says.
“It can’t just be a police response, we need to have a full engagement with the community to work together.”
Lakusta was named Chief of Police on July 10th, 2023.