CRIME PREVENTION: Two Richmond RCMP officers nab awards for their radio talk show

Richmond RCMP constables Jagmeet Dandiwal (left) and Harbir Sangha. Submitted photo

Two Indo-Canadian RCMP officers have received awards for their efforts in crime prevention and community safety programs for B.C.’s South Asian communities.

Richmond RCMP constables Jagmeet Dandiwal and Harbir Sangha received the Ministry of Justice Community Safety and Crime Prevention Media Award on Friday for their involvement in a crime prevention radio talk show on Sher-E-Punjab radio, AM 1550.

In their off-time both officers have been appearing regularly on the station’s show Lok Soth with host Harjit Singh Gill. It’s broadcast in the Punjabi language to thousands of listeners in B.C. and parts of the U.S., focusing on crime prevention programs in the Richmond detachment and covering topics such as youth gangs, bullying and identity theft.

“We began this initiative in order to engage the Punjabi and South Asian communities. Policing is about building partnerships with the community and doing everything we can to keep people safe,” Dandiwal said in a release. 

“We also wanted to dispel police-related stereotypes within the community in order to strengthen our relationship with the Punjabi community.”

Both officers were born and raised in India. Dandiwal immigrated to Canada in 2001 when he was 19 and Sangha immigrated in 2000 when he was 20.

Their crime prevention program will continue into 2013.

Tags: Punjabi, RCMP