Skip to content

RCMP identify top priorities for coming year

Okotoks RCMP will work toward achieving three priorities in the next 12 months — crime prevention, employee wellness and enhanced visibility. Sgt.
Okotoks RCMP will focus on crime prevention, employee wellness and enhanced visibility over the next year.
Okotoks RCMP will focus on crime prevention, employee wellness and enhanced visibility over the next year.

Okotoks RCMP will work toward achieving three priorities in the next 12 months — crime prevention, employee wellness and enhanced visibility.

Sgt. Darren Turnbull presented the Okotoks detachment’s annual performance plan to council on April 23, which identified the three priorities for the coming year. Both crime prevention and employee wellness are initiatives laid out by the Province, whereas the Okotoks RCMP chose make increased community visibility its third focus.

"Enhanced visibility is a very broad priority, but it’s going to allow us to have several initiatives under that one priority, things like increased visibility within the community, increased visibility within the schools, increased visibility in road safety and traffic safety as well,” Turnbull told council.

He said making the priority broad means there is flexibility to adjust to anything that may come up during the year, whether it means needing another officer or two as school resource officers, offering support with the legalization of marijuana, being more present in parks and pathways or in foot patrols in town.

It could also mean doing more projects in conjunction with Okotoks Municipal Enforcement, like the current annual charity checkstop held before Christmas each year, he said.

He said both departments are working on ideas for increasing the visibility for RCMP and municipal enforcement together in Okotoks, like running bike or foot patrols in parks or downtown.

"Things like partnering for more checkstops, things like that were the residents of Okotoks feel and know that they do live in a safe community, and it is a safe community, but the more they see us out there the safer they’ll feel,” said Turnbull.

Mayor Bill Robertson said he would appreciate a stronger police presence in town as a means of peace of mind for residents.

As a member of the now-defunct RCMP auxiliary for 10 years, Robertson said there were many shifts that involved sitting for four hours while his partner completed paperwork rather than being in the community.

"When I saw this enhanced visibility, it would be trying to get the members out and about, driving around the town and being more visible, because for a number of people that gives them a level of comfort when they see the RCMP car on Robinson Drive, for example,” said Robertson. "That’s out and about to me.”

Turnbull said he was pleased with the two Provincially-mandated priorities as well, as they will further improve service levels at the Okotoks detachment.

"This year crime prevention is a number one priority assigned by District,” said Turnbull. "I was happy to see that because it evolves well to the needs of our community here.”

Because the Okotoks RCMP cover a large area of the MD of Foothills, where increasing rural crime rates have been an issue over the past two years, he said crime prevention fits well with the focus of the detachment.

There has been a new crime reduction unit formed under the southern Alberta district in recent months, he said. The unit works closely with Calgary Police Service and RCMP detachments around the city to specifically target repeat offenders, he said.

It’s about identifying those "habitual offenders” and putting them in prison, he said.

"We have offenders who are charged and given court dates and we’re expecting the court system to be able to, once they’re dealt with through the court system, found guilty, to be accountable for their actions,” said Turnbull. "

As far as employee wellness, he said that is particularly important as when an officer is off sick it’s difficult to find a replacement without knowing how long they’ll be off duty. Placing some priority on employee wellness makes it easier to plan for the future and keep members working on-schedule, he said.

He said morale among officers and staff at the Okotoks detachment is impressive, and the work they do is high quality.

"I’m impressed, I really am,” said Turnbull, who joined the Okotoks RCMP six months ago. "The RCMP officers we have working here and the morale within the office is good. I’m impressed with the membership and the work being done, and their morale. The members come ready to work.”

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks