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By Darlene Casten
staff reporter
A $42.4 million influx of cash from the federal government could mean more RCMP officers patrolling the foothills.
Last week, Alberta Solicitor General Fred Lindsay was told the province would receive $42.4 million from a federal trust fund; however, details on how the cash will be distributed throughout the province have not been ironed out.
The money is earmarked for the recruitment and hiring of additional RCMP and city police officers and will be paid out over five years.
The federal Conservative Party has said 2,500 police officers need to be hired across Canada.
Turner Valley Sgt. Jim Ross said he would welcome an increase in the number of officers working at his detachment.
“We would get into the schools a lot more and (patrol) the highways a lot more,” he said. “With all the investigation needs we have we are busy. Any additional bodies you can get are good for everyone involved – the community and the detachment.”
In Turner Valley nine officers police an area that stretches from Black Diamond to Eden Valley and into Kananaskis.
The Town of Okotoks approved four more officers this year. The Town pays the majority of the funding for police staffing, unlike the Turner Valley detachment that is largely funded by the province.
Sgt. Wade Sparks said the Okotoks detachment is currently two officers short, but expects to be back at full strength by June.
Solicitor General spokesperson Christine Skjerven said consultation with Calgary and Edmonton Police Services and K-division RCMP will be conducted before the first allotment is paid out.
Recruiting Mounties to Alberta is complicated by the fact that RCMP trainees can be sent anywhere in the country. One solution could be increasing allotments to Alberta detachments and provide more funding to towns like Okotoks, she said.
Currently, the province has approved more than 2,000 RCMP positions across Alberta, jobs that are currently all filled, Skjerven said.
The solicitor general also mentioned that some of the money could be used to buy radios that would allow all police agencies to speak to one another. Currently the RCMP and city police forces use different radio systems that are not compatible with one another.
“We want to spend the money the way that makes the best sense for everyone across the board,” Skjerven said.
A decision on how the money will be distributed is expected within the next two months. |
