One question surfaced again and again at last Thursday evening's policing review meeting held at Kwanlin Dun's Na'Kwa'Ta'Ku Potlatch House: Where is everyone?

Part of the territory-wide Yukon Policing Review, the meeting was attended by only three members of the first nation.

Of the trio, one was an auxiliary member of the RCMP who has been involved in community policing. Of the other two, only one spoke.

'Often times, these consultations go without community participation. I've seen that over and over again,' said Rosemary Rowlands, director of justice for the Kwanlin Dun First Nation.

Lack of advertising within the community could be one reason why the turnout was low, she said.

Newspaper adds for the meeting were running as of last Wednesday and radio announcements were aired on CHON-FM as of last Thursday, according to Lisa Jacobs, the communications officer for the Department of Justice.

However, postering within the community is the best way to notify members of the first nation of a meeting, according to Rowlands.

'Whenever you hold these types of meetings and consultations, engaging the community is always a challenge,' she said. 'If it was just advertised by posters, it's very likely you're gonna get participation.'

There was no postering done in the community, according to Jacobs, although there was a poster hanging in the library.

Organizing the meeting with the involvement of people who work within Kwanlin Dun would be one way to encourage greater community participation, Rowlands said in an interview Friday.

She noted that certain days of the week and times of the day are better for the community as a whole. Planning a gathering around the needs of Kwanlin Dun members could raise participation rates, she said.

'On one level, organizationally, I'd say (the Department of Justice) are doing a great job of engaging us and working with our schedules and involving as many people as possible.

'On more of the community public level, obviously we need to assist with that.'

While the department did attempt to contact members of Kwanlin Dun during meeting planning, it was difficult to get a hold of people, said Lesley Carberry, the government's director of Crime Prevention and Policing.

'We had a couple of conversations with them but because of the time of year, late summer, it is difficult to find people that aren't on holidays,' she said in an interview today.

When asked if the department had received any advice from Kwanlin Dun for scheduling the meeting, Carberry said no.

'I don't believe that they had anyone who could address it,' she said.

The policing review consists of more than community meetings, though, Carberry explained. These include focus groups with non-governmental organizations, social agencies, court workers and the Council of Yukon First Nations.

In terms of community consultations, however, there is room to improve, she said.

'We know we can always do better around public meetings; that's always a challenge,' she said.

After last week's meeting, the department also spoke to police about reducing their numbers, which they have agreed to do. With three officers and only two community members, the numbers were skewed, Carberry said.

Turnout for the review, which is being held across the Yukon and the North, varies from community to community, Carberry added.

'I was not at all unhappy with the turnout that we got,' she said. 'The people who came were engaged and they had something to say.'

Wendy Fox, one of the community members who did attend the review, said there were many stories to be told from within Kwanlin Dun.

'I wish there was more people here from the community tonight, especially up here in the village,' she said. 'I think a lot of people would have things to say.'

She has had positive experiences with the RCMP for example, an officer stopped to give her a ride into downtown Whitehorse. However, she was also at the review to talk about police violence.

She told the small gathering, which consisted mostly of RCMP officers, staff from the territorial Department of Justice and news reporters, that she was disappointed more people had not come out to the review, because she is not the only person who has been hurt by police.

Another attendee, Joseph Fred, is a member of Kwanlin Dun who has also worked as an auxiliary member of the RCMP.

He spoke about working with the RCMP within Kwanlin Dun as a positive experience. Fred highlighted the importance of programs voluntarily run by RCMP officers with high-risk youth.

The lack of attendance at the meeting was also an issue he addressed.

'I'm surprised more community members and councillors aren't making themselves available here,' Fred said.

'I'm sure that crime within the community should be, if it isn't, it should be an issue that some of them take seriously.'

Scott Clark, the Ottawa-based consultant responsible for holding the policing review in the Yukon, said a meeting with councillors was scheduled for this week. Rowlands confirmed that council will be meeting with the policing review committee.

However, the lack of community presence at the meeting requires action, she said.

'I think there needs to be a real effort to find ways to better engage the community because I have no doubt that there are many voices out there that would like to be heard.'

The second police review meeting will take place from 7:00 to 9:00 this evening at Hellaby Hall, at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Elliott Street.