Delta police Const. Michael Grandia recently received a provincial award for his leadership work within the Tsawwassen First Nation.
Grandia was among the honourees of the 21st annual Community Safety and Crime Prevention Awards, presented by the provincial government to recognize community leaders and police officers for their contributions to community safety, healing and prevention of victimization in B.C.
Grandia is a 12-year veteran of the DPD assigned to the TFN.
Respecting the TFN traditions and culture, the mandate of Grandia’s work is to seek solutions to issues through the development of culturally-based strategies.
Grandia works closely with various sectors of the TFN community, from elders to government agencies, to develop and implement programming related to substance misuse, education, justice, youth, and overall health and wellness.
He has campaigned for mental health awareness, the use of harm reduction, trauma informed practice and is a spokesperson both on and off TFN for social justice.
“I’m very passionate about my work with the Tsawwassen First Nation team - and it truly is a team approach,” said Grandia. “The policing model here is not enforcement based. Instead it’s focused on health and wellness. It’s a multidisciplinary approach, involved in all facets of the community, education, drug and alcohol related issues, mental health, physical health and culture.”
The awards helped launch Crime Prevention Week in the province, which was Nov. 1 to 7.
“These awards show everyone that each of us can make a difference to prevent crime, help victims of violence and make our communities safer,” said Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth in a news release. “On behalf of the province, I want to thank each of our award winners for the perseverance, commitment and passion they bring to their work.”
