Message from Chief Robert A. Davis

The Dryden Police Service is proud to serve the citizens of the City Dryden as well all as those who come to Dryden for employment, education, health services, and social services or to enjoy a vacation, visit friends and family, fishing or hunting in our surrounding lakes and forests.  We are equally proud to be ambassadors for the City of Dryden to the thousands passing through annually along the Trans Canada Highway.  We are committed to providing a safe environment for everyone calling Dryden home or travelling through our great city.

We boast a highly trained and diverse staff of officers and civilians who are whole heartedly committed to public safety through crime prevention and community input.  Our present Business Plan can be viewed on our website and is based on the input of residents through a community survey.  We were extremely fortunate to have had a 40% return rate in the survey – an incredible return rate by most standards.  This clearly demonstrates the residents of Dryden care about their community and are willing to work with the police to keep it safe. 

The motto of the Dryden Police Service is The Dryden Police Service and you, working together to prevent crime.  We are committed to this philosophy and have already instituted several suggestions made known in the survey.  As Sir Robert Peel stated, “The police are the public and the public are the police”.  We can only achieve public safety through an open dialogue and working together with our community stakeholders.

In an age where technology evolves daily, it is important that police services stay connected electronically in order to make decisions based on real time information.  The Dryden Police Service utilizes the latest technologies for our records management system and computer aided dispatch in our communications and 911 call centre, providing service around the clock.  In addition to answering business and emergency calls for the Dryden Police Service, 911 calls for Dryden Fire and Ambulance Services, the Oxdrift, Machin, Wabigoon and Sioux Lookout Fire Departments are dispatched from this communications centre.

Congruent to staying current with technology – we embrace the fundamentals of policing and the value that traditional community based policing practices, such as extensive foot patrol in our parks, paths and downtown core have long brought to all police agencies around the world. 

The Dryden Police Service believes youth from all cultures are the future of the City, the Province and Canada.  Many of our members, both uniform and civilian, are actively engaged on and off duty volunteering to support youth development and success through coaching, mentoring, teaching and friendship.  We are extremely pleased to partner with the Dryden High School to offer placement for co-operative education students interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement.

 The Dryden Police Service is proud of the relationships and partnerships we have with our First Nations stakeholders.  The City of Dryden has a long history with the citizens of the neighbouring First Nations of Wabigoon Lake and Eagle Lake, and we look forward to furthering the relationships to foster inclusiveness and respect, making public safety paramount for everyone.  Dryden is also becoming a destination for many Aboriginal People from the Treaty #9 area of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation.  In 2011 our city became a home to those forced from their residences when forest fires threatened the community of Cat Lake.  It was a first for our city and the Dryden Police Service.  The knowledge gained through this experience will ensure our Aboriginal neighbours from the north choosing to relocate to Dryden, permanently or temporarily, can enjoy a standard of living which ensures community wellness and safety for all.

For almost 100 years, the men and women of the Dryden Police have been proud to serve the City of Dryden.  While we are a small service, we are determined to minimize and negate threats to our City. We will continue to work closely in a positive manner with our partner law enforcement agencies such as the OPP, the RCMP, CP Rail Police, Treaty Three Police, Nishnawbe Aski Police and Canadian Border Services Agency to name a few, making Dryden a safe community.

We welcome your input, ideas and any suggestions which you feel will help us achieve our goal of making Dryden an environment where you can confidently live, raise a family or visit.

Take Care & Be Safe.