Royal City Rotary Club is involved within our community in many service and support roles. Through our support of the New Westminster Police Department's Victim Assistance Unit (VAU) Vehicle, Rotary help enable the VAU to operate within the community in a very important service role - its a great collaboration. During our regular Wednesday breakfast meetings at Craft Cafe, Club members and guests had the pleasure of hearing from Kirsten Wilson and her accredited facility dog, Sokka, who make up the first-ever K9 support team. Thank you Kirsten and Sokka and your colleagues for the amazing work you do to support our community.
- The Mission: As an Accredited Facility Dog (AFD) provided by the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS), Sokka works directly with Kirsten to support victims of crime and trauma. https://www.nwpolice.org/news-media/nwpd-news/new-westminster-police-department-introduces-accredited-facility-dog-pads-sokka/
- What They Do: Sokka helps lower stress levels and offers physical grounding to individuals while they are giving police statements, writing victim impact statements, or testifying in court.
- Milestones: Sokka officially joined the NWPD family in May 2026 and completed his very first full courtroom trial later that August
The VAU is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Referrals come from the Police and from community agencies. Services are provided by their professional staff and by trained caseworkers.
Individuals requesting assistance can contact the services directly at T: 604-529-2525 or E: VAU@nwpolice.org
