You can bank on your Neighbourhood Resource Team

George is living in Long Term Care and has been cooped up for almost four months due to Covid-19 restrictions. So it’s understandable that on June 30, a beautiful sunny day, he wanted to get outside. Although he has limited mobility, he wanted to walk to the bank a few blocks away.

Constables Dakota Bashford and Usama Badran, members of the OPS Neighbourhood Resource Team, were on foot patrol in the ByWard Market when they witnessed a tugging match between George and a staff member of the residence. 

The officers asked what the problem was and learned George couldn’t go out by himself and the residence didn’t have staff available for someone to accompany him on his errand.

Since the officers were going in that direction, they offered to escort George to the bank and back. The staff member agreed to let him go with them. 

As they walked, George told the officers about his career in real estate and he showed them an award he had received. “He was a real card,” said Cst. Badran, “and he was enjoying the chance to talk about ‘the good old days’ with someone new.”

On the way back, George offered to buy the officers a drink from the Beavertails stand on George St. The officers declined, but George wanted an orange soda. The vendor couldn’t take cash because of Covid-19 restrictions, so Cst. Badran paid for the drink with his own card. 

By this time, George was getting hot and tired, so Cst. Bashford walked ahead and picked up the police cruiser that was parked nearby. The officers drove George back home from there.

“He was definitely happy to get out and about,” said Cst. Badran. “I’m glad we were able to do something that took less than an hour but meant so much to him. This is what community policing is all about.”