A new officer has been appointed to take the reins of the VicPD’s Esquimalt and Vic West Division.
Acting Insp. Jason Laidman brings 23 years of experience to the position, and has been with Victoria police for 15 years. Prior to that, he served with the West Vancouver Police Department in a variety of roles that spanned everything from major crime to domestic violence to patrol.
Laidman is quick to emphasize that he views every day as a learning experience.
“Today’s policing is really a matter of integrating our services with other resources in the community,” said Laidman. “We have professionals out there working with a host of issues. By tapping their knowledge we have access to expertise in mental health and addictions, child and family services knowledge and even the help of probation officers. The police take a leadership and coordination role, of course, but it’s really the team approach that makes us more effective in the long run.”
Laidman maintained good police work and public safety are only possible when there is a strong connection with the community.
He hopes to maintain that connection through the maintenance of the school liaison and community liaison initiatives of his department.
In the short term, Laidman sees one of his biggest challenges is making himself available to meet as much of the community as possible.
Another challenge facing all police departments today is the integration of social media with the work of the police.
“It’s a very new concept for the police, but we’re using social media platforms now to get word out on emergency situations, inform the public, and generally get our message across,” said Laidman.
More than anything, Laidman said he’s approaching his new position with a keen appreciation of the pride that the people of Esquimalt feel for their community.