Jasper鈥檚 new RCMP sergeant, Rick Bidaisee, knows a thing or two about community policing.聽
For the past 16 years he has worked as an officer in Drayton Valley, Edson and Whitecourt, serving in various roles with the RCMP.
鈥淚鈥檓 very passionate about community,鈥� said Bidaisee, who is 52 years old and has visited Jasper with his family for the past 26 years.
鈥淎s a police officer my philosophy is to ensure that we have safe homes, safe communities and we鈥檙e working together with all the other agencies.鈥�
Born and raised in Trinidad, in the Caribbean, Bidaisee immigrated to Canada by himself as an 18-year-old.聽
After earning his high school diploma in Hamilton and completing some post-secondary education, he soon met his wife in Brampton, Ont. They married when he was 26 years old.
Nine years later, at the age of 35, he entered the RCMP鈥檚 police academy located in Regina.
鈥淚 was a late bloomer,鈥� he joked.
After graduating, he did a short stint in Stony Plain before being posted in Drayton Valley. In Edson he spent six years as a plainclothes police officer before moving to Whitecourt where he worked as the sergeant of operations for the local detachment.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a dream come true,鈥� said Bidaisee about moving to Jasper.
鈥淚 am continuously amazed at the welcoming my family and I have received in the community and I think it鈥檚 an extension of what we鈥檝e experienced in the last 26 years coming to Jasper.鈥�
During a sit down interview, Bidaisee acknowledged some of the problems facing the community, including drugs and people suffering from mental health issues.
鈥淎s you get to know me, I鈥檓 very much a people person so I understand, for example, that addiction is an illness,鈥� said Bidaisee.
鈥淚鈥檓 very understanding, very patient and knowledgeable and I鈥檝e already reached out to the various agencies that address mental health and together I think we can address some of these challenges.鈥�
In addition to dealing with some of the problems facing Jasper, he also vowed to be accessible to the public.
鈥淚 want people to know that I have an open door policy. If there are any issues just stop in, or stop me in the street, and we can have a discussion and if we have things we can improve on, absolutely, we can do that too.鈥�
Bidaisee is replacing acting Sgt. Ryan Gardiner, who was filling in for Sgt. Dave Maludzinski while he was on medical leave. Gardiner will remain in the community as an RCMP corporal overseeing the detachment鈥檚 operations.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be nice to have Rick on board and it鈥檚 going to take some of the work load off me,鈥� said Gardiner, who was acting sergeant for nearly three years.
鈥淚t will allow me to focus on supervising the guys and helping with some of the investigations where I can.鈥�
Gardiner also extended his thanks to the detachment鈥檚 office support staff who helped him with administrative work over the past three years.聽
鈥淥ur office support staff is amazing,鈥� said Gardiner. 鈥淭hey keep the place running.鈥�
Paul Clarke [email protected]
