All the parties involved call it a “win-win” situation.

On Tuesday afternoon, the South Simcoe Police Service (SSPS) firmly re-established their presence at the Cookstown Manufacturers Outlet Mall with the opening of a community information centre. It is housed in a unit formerly rented by Cadbury Chocolates.

“We’ve been walking the beat here, doing a community foot patrol,” says special constable Les Bluestein. “Having a permanent office here will be great and will help us interact with the public. We’ve remodeled it and kept the (Cadbury) house so it looks kid-friendly.”

For police Chief Bruce Davis, “It’s a great pleasure to be back in the mall. Our thanks to Dennis Parker and Taurus Management for their donation of space.”

Lynda Newman, vice president of the SSPS board of directors said, “We know the mall has become a real meeting place. We look forward to many years of partnership.”

Welcoming the police to the mall “made a lot of sense from the police standpoint, our tenants and visitors to the outlet mall,” said Parker, managing partner of Taurus Canada Investments LLC.

“It’s a goodwill community gesture and it’s a good presence in the mall and gives them another avenue to meet the public.”