“Hello, my name is Zac, I’m the new police officer serving your community. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” says the young man in uniform with an engaging smile, extending his hand to everyone he meets in the halls of Sautjuit school in Kangirsuk.
“I want them to be able to put a face to the person who will serve them for the next few months, the next few years,” explains Zacharie Duchesneau in an interview with Dutyduring an official visit to the school.
He arrived in the village of Kangirsuk barely three weeks ago, but has worked for the Nunavik police for over a year. For him, the link with the school is essential. “I think that’s the basis, to know your world,” he says.
“And then, there is a lot to do to change mentalities, to offer a more positive image of the police. We will not hide it, in the past, there have been abuses and reprehensible behavior, but we are working a lot with a view to changing people’s vision of the police. »
After introducing himself to the staff, the police officer goes into the classrooms to speak directly to the students. “The little phrase I say all the time is that the police station is always open, that there is always someone available to help them. […] if they have problems at home or at school. »
In a small village like Kangirsuk, which has less than 600 inhabitants, the school is also a good point of contact for meeting people. When The duty met him, Zacharie Duchesneau was working to set up a sugar shack activity… in a village where there are no trees.
This was achieved in part with the financial support of the Kativik School Board.