Rankin Inlet police look to connect with public through pickleball

RCMP in Rankin Inlet are replacing donuts with pickles, at least when it comes to the courts.

Cyclist Hazel Netser is flanked by RCMP Cpl. James Johnston, left, and Const. Julien Clement at the hamlet’s bike rodeo, held Aug. 12. The officers handed out stickers and temporary tattoos during the event. (Photo by Daron Letts)

Officers in the community are promoting pickleball as an all-ages pastime to strengthen relationships.

“Down the road we can have our first annual pickleball tournament,” said the detachment’s new operations commander, Sgt. Darick Ramminger. “I bought the net, five paddles and balls. We’re ready to go.”

Pickleball is a popular sport played with wooden paddles and a plastic whiffle ball over a short net on a 14-metre-long court. It’s a combination of tennis, badminton and ping pong. 

Ramminger said he’s scoped out the outdoor rink for summer games and anticipates using school gyms once the weather turns cold.

But right now the goal is to recruit players. That might not prove to be too tough, as non-profit sport organization Pickleball Manitoba donated rackets, balls and nets to the hamlet in October 2024 and hosted a pickleball clinic there later that winter.

Interest in the sport has endured and was part of the hamlet’s winter programming last year, said Wesley Innukshuk, Rankin Inlet’s recreation co-ordinator.

Ramminger joined the Rankin Inlet detachment in August after a seven-month stint in Iqaluit, which is where he learned to play pickleball from members of the Iqaluit mosque.

The game is fun, but for Ramminger it is a means to an end.

“Effective policing in Rankin Inlet really depends on the trust and relationships with the local residents, elders and youth,” he said.

Playing pickleball is one way to kickstart the interactions that lead to good relationships, he said. Maintaining a visible day-to-day presence throughout the hamlet is another.

Ramminger said he met several families in the stands at the ball diamond during the Calm Air Cup earlier in August.

Cpl. James Johnston and Const. Julien Clement greeted the public and handed out stickers, tattoos and colouring books during the hamlet’s bike rodeo on the Leo Ussak Elementary School soccer field on Aug. 12.

“The kids in Rankin Inlet are really approachable and happy to see us,” Johnston said.

The RCMP also plans to host a community barbecue in October, Ramminger said.

Not all efforts by the RCMP to maintain a visible presence in the hamlet are fun and games. The police collaborated with bylaw officers to have check stops in July.

Officers conducted 12 mandatory alcohol screening checks per day and laid one charge for impaired driving of an ATV.

“The community was overwhelmingly receptive,” Ramminger said.

Ramminger plans to institute ATV patrols in the community, similar to a project underway at the Iqaluit detachment.

Snowmobile patrols will follow in the late fall and winter, he said.

In the meantime, Ramminger and his officers plan to meet with staff and students at the three schools in the community.

They will bring their pickleball paddles with them, he said.