Shootings spur call for dedicated officer

Returning a community police officer to work solely inWinnipeg's North End could help improve trust andrelationships as well ascalm fears in the wake of recent extreme violence in the area, community leaders say.

Jimmy Lee, head of the Indian and Mtis Friendship Centre, says politicians and police have already been approached to see if such an idea is possible.

On Monday, police set up a mobile command unit for the area in the wake of three separate shootings two of them fatal within a 35-minute span Saturday night.

The surviving victimwas a 13-year-old girl.

No arrests have been made and police continue to search forthe person or persons whopulled the trigger at each incident. They repeated Monday a request to the public for information leading investigators to make an arrest.

Lee said his agency has asked for a police officer to be based out of the Robinson Street centre or at a Manitoba Housing unit nearby. It could help comfort people and bolster trust between the aboriginal community and the police force, he suggested.

It wasn't too long ago that the police service assigned a dedicated officer to the area.

"They used to have one in there quite a while back a native officer, First Nations officer," Lee said. "And his presence he was always walking around talking to people, talking to the kids," he said.

Lee said he has yet to hear back from officials about the proposal.