Five new NAPS officers now serving the north

Five new police officers are in the midst of their first month of serving in northern communities after they received their Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service badges last month.
Dawn Loker, Christopher Lockwood, Ray Bailey, Mitch Laflamme, and Hugh Brennen were presented with the badges at a Dec. 13 ceremony at the NAPS headquarters in Thunder Bay.
Constable Brennen of Belleville, Ont. will be dispatched in Slate Falls First Nation.
Constable Christopher Lockwood, born and raised in Thunder Bay, will be dispatched to Sandy Lake First Nation. Constable Raymond Bailey of Sioux Lookout will be posted in Attawapiskat First Nation. Constable Mitch Laflamme of Timmins, will be dispatched to Kashechewan First Nation. And Constable Dawn Loker, from Cambridge, Ont., will be dispatched to Eabametoong First Nation.
Loker was also the recipient of an award for having the highest marks out of the graduating class.
During the ceremony, NAPS police chief Terry Armstrong called their service as a “momentous honour” and said that it “carries significances to our new members and to all who have chosen this admirable profession.”
“It is the first major step that acknowledges you are a recognized member of the law enforcement family,” Armstrong said.
“We’ve selected the best candidates, we’ve invested in them. We are confident in their abilities, dedication, and commitment. We know they have what it takes to make a difference,” he said of the five new NAPS officers.
Armstrong congratulated the officers for graduating from the Ontario Police College and informed the new officers that as members of NAPS, they have a “real chance to embrace why you want to be a police officer in the first place.”
“Don’t lose sight of why you’re here,” Armstrong said.