The MD of Bonnyville is one step closer to having a regional rural crime reduction unit.
Council voted in favour of submitting an application to Alberta Justice for enhanced policing services positions to address rural crime.
The unit would consist of three RCMP members and a support staff position. Their focus would be identifying criminals who have the biggest impact on local communities, high areas of crime, and the most prevalent crime types. They wouldn’t be expected to respond to routine calls of service at the detachment level.
“I’m totally in favour,” expressed Coun. Dana Swigart. “We have this rural crime issue, and this is just another way that allows the RCMP to work directly on crime instead of having their constables just going from point A to point B just doing whatever. Now, they’ll have a team concentrating on rural crime.”
The cost of the unit is expected to ring in around $1.74-million for a three-year contract. Approximately $1.26-million will be funded through the municipality directly, while $474,000 of the costs will be allotted from the MD’s portion of the 2018 ID 349 funding.
However, with the air weapons range funding agreement currently under review, they could be looking at a close to $500,000 deficit if the dollars don’t come through.
“With respect to the ID 349 allocation of funds, we’ve been committed the 2018 allocation of just shy of $1-million,” explained CAO Luc Mercier during council’s regular meeting on Nov. 6. “Our intent as a municipality was to allow our dollars to go to the regional project of enhancing policing, three positions that would be in our region. Doing the math on that, we’d have to commit to three years with the RCMP… we have to commit that the MD would be footing the extra $500,000 deficit if these funds aren’t committed moving forward.”
According to Reeve Greg Sawchuk, the length of the contract was one of the reasons for the shortfall.
“We had to enter into a three-year contract with the RCMP. If it was just one year, we would have easily covered it, but in order to get these positions you have to sign on for three years,” he explained.
“It’s basically a contract,” Sawchuk added. “You can have the choice of continuing after that, but you’d probably be having to let the (RCMP) know well in advance.”
While the cost of the unit is a separate line item, the Government of Alberta’s announcement in September that municipal districts and counties could be required to start pitching in for policing services was a topic of discussion.
“We don’t know what the policing cost is going to be yet,” noted Sawchuk. “We do know that there will be no change to the service level, it’s just going to be an added cost.”
Mercier said, “My interpretation of that is, first of all, I believe that the province is going to consider municipal costs that they’re spending on RCMP for enhanced positions as well. I believe they’re leaning towards, as they’re looking at the costs that municipalities are spending for their peace officer positions, I think that all has to be incorporated… In this program in three years, we’re going to be short $500,000 worst case. I think the province is going to consider that in the costing model and if not we’re risking $500,000 for additional resources in the area.”
The idea of a regional crime reduction unit was put forward by the MD during meetings with the municipalities and settlements involved with ID 349. It was first suggested by RCMP members as another tool for addressing rural crime.
“In the meeting with RCMP, what they’re saying is what they really need, in addition to what we have for resources in our region, are boots on the ground to deal with rural crime,” Mercier detailed.
Swigart said, “I sit on the rural policing committee, and the RCMP are excited about it because it will give them three members that aren’t stuck in the system… They would be independent, and working on rural crime.”
The unit would be a collaboration between the Cold Lake, Bonnyville, and Elk Point RCMP detachments, however many of the details on how exactly it will operate are still being ironed out. The plan is to have the three enhanced positions serve the Town and MD of Bonnyville, Village of Glendon, City of Cold Lake, and Elizabeth and Fishing Lake Métis Settlements.
Cold Lake RCMP S/Sgt. Scott Buchanan hopes the process will move quickly in order to get officers focusing on rural crime.
“The crime reduction unit wouldn’t be tied to the radio, they would be focusing on the proactive work in seeking out the people who do a majority of the crime versus having to respond (to calls),” he detailed.
Swigart has high hopes for the unit.
“In three years, maybe there won’t be any rural crime because they’ll have done such a good job. I’m looking forward to it. I think it will help them and us a lot.”
