Const. Geoff Stark laughs a little when asked if the fact that he's originally from Toronto ever comes up when he's working with people in downtown Dartmouth and Woodside.
"No, that certainly hasn't been an issue," he said.
Stark is a veteran police officer, having served 16 years with the Toronto Police Service and four as an officer in Peterborough, Ont. before moving to Nova Scotia four years ago.
Stark explains that his wife has roots in the area and always wanted to move back. When the opportunity to move to Halifax arose, they took it.
Similarly, when the opportunity came up to become the Community Response Officer (CRO) for Downtown Dartmouth-Woodside, Stark leapt at the chance.
"You know, I've done a lot of things in my policing career but I hadn't really done Community Response Policing," Stark said. "So I am very interested in that."
What appeals to Stark is the chance to see the community as a whole rather than responding call-to-call. It also gives him a chance to work with people to address whatever concerns arise.
"I have the time to address and investigate issues," he said. "I'm really driven by the community and my desire to work with them."
Stark was assigned to the CRO's position about two months ago and is busy learning the territory, meeting people and figuring out what issues are affecting the area.
It's a steep learning curve, but Stark says he's enjoying every minute of it.
"You can tell from the response of people that it's working," he said. When he's making his rounds of the territory, people frequently tell him how pleased they are to see a police officer in the neighbourhood. People are taking the time to bring issues to him and point out areas of concern.
"You become part of the community in that way," he said.
Whether it's unsightly properties, unwanted people loitering near businesses or creating an organized downtown focal point for young people, Stark said he's found that people are becoming increasingly comfortable with bringing their concerns to him.
"I'm trying to get the idea out there that leadership comes from within," he said. "We'll work with them but the push comes from the community."
Stark said he's busy working with residents and business owners to figure out how they can co-operatively make Downtown Dartmouth and Woodside better places to live and work.
To contact Const. Stark, phone 490-5460 or 478-0056.
