Cash and other proceeds of crime are helping support the Light on the Hill pilot project initiated by the Aylmer Police Service.
Last month, the province allocated up to $200,000 over a two-year period, and it is not taxpayer dollars.
Instead the funds are courtesy of the Civil Remedies Grant Program.
Aylmer Police Chief Kyle Johnstone explains the goal of the Light on the Hill project .
Johnstone added with the grant, “We are able to change the landscape of our service to provide a more professtional approach to criminal investigations and foster an inclusive environment with out Low German Mennonite community.”
The funding will permit the Aylmer Police Service to develop and awarenss campaign and dedicate a police constable to focus on these types of crimes.
Johnstone stressed that in rural communities and in areas with cultural populations like the Low German Mennonites, victims face added barriers.
He added, “Within a smaller police service, the benefits of grants like this are felt exponentially and we are extremely appreciative to receive this funding.”
Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Rob Flack added, “By supporting the Light on the Hill pilot project, we are strengthening culturally appropriate approaches to those affected by domestic and sexual violence, while also improving awareness, prevention, and frontline capacity.”
Written by Ian McCallum
