RCMP Inspector Veronica Fox the highest ranking female RCMP officer in Coquitlam says she was interested in becoming a journalist while she was in high school. At an early age she volunteered with community organizations such as the Girl Guides and later on volunteered at a local community policing station where she fell in love with policing.

Geoff Scott – Local Journalism Initiative

When she realized that policing was her calling she signed up with the RCMP and wound up serving six months in Regina. She graduated in January and has been serving at the Coquitlam detachment for ten months and is in charge of community policing where she first started out with the RCMP.

Veronica says that the community policing offices act as community hubs that allow the detachment to do a better job of reaching out to the community better than they could if they just had their central detachment. They provide an additional point of contact for the community and are a good place for people to report non-emergency crimes. While emergencies can be reported there as well, citizens are encouraged to call 911 instead for the sake of expediency.

While Veronica found her way to policing through a community policing office, Veronica notes that the people who volunteer at the community policing offices come from all walks of life and many contribute their time and effort with no plans of furthering their career in policing. Volunteering opportunities vary and are accommodating to those with less flexible availability.

While Veronica found her way to policing through a community policing office, Veronica notes that the people who volunteer at the community policing offices come from all walks of life and many contribute their time and effort with no plans of furthering their career in policing. Volunteering opportunities vary and are accommodating to those with less flexible availability.

Those interested in volunteering at a community policing office need to be of 19 years of age, or older, and be prepared to run a background check and police records check.