Proposed provincial policing plan would bolster Alberta’s rural, remote detachments
An Alberta Provincial Police Service would see sworn officers currently working in administrative positions at larger detachments redeployed to front-line roles in smaller communities, according to a proposed plan released Tuesday.
The effort would see Alberta's smallest detachments staffed with a minimum of 10 front-line officers as part of an overhaul to the structure of policing in the province, should the government choose to move away from the RCMP.
The government hasn't decided yet whether it will actually move forward with a provincial police force, but the proposal sets a framework for how one would work.
Under the current RCMP detachment model, some smaller detachments have as few as three officers, the province says.
The plan for redeployment assumes sworn officers currently in administrative roles such as human resources, cybersecurity and other roles that could be performed by civilian specialists would be sent to smaller detachments in rural and remote communities. The proposal also assumes a provincial police force would acquire building infrastructure and equipment currently being used by the RCMP.
“This report reveals that the current deployment model is bureaucratic and heavily centralized. By moving to a provincial deployment model, we would be able to add 275 front-line police officers to the smallest 42 detachments," said Tyler Shandro, Alberta's justice minister.
"We can also make access to mental health, addictions, family crisis services and other specialized police services more accessible to all communities across Alberta," he said.
A report released in October by PricewaterhouseCoopers suggests the price tag to transition away from the RCMP would be about $366 million initially, with annual costs of around $734 million.
The proposed plan released Tuesday outlines a structure that would see an Alberta chief of police overseeing six deputies: a deputy of Indigenous policing; a deputy of community health and well-being; a deputy of corporate services; and deputies for each of the north, central and south detachments.
In addition to up to 85 community detachments, a provincial policing approach would see 20 to 30 “service hubs” to provide specialized services and three “regional headquarters” to oversee smaller detachments.
The proposal to move away from the RCMP has previously been opposed by the Rural Municipalities of Alberta.
"Based on the arguments provided by the province so far, there's simply no evidence that a switch to a provincial police service will be worth the cost and disruption," reads a letter sent by the group to Shandro in April.
The National Police Federation, representing about 20,000 RCMP members across the country, has also panned the idea of a provincial police force and launched a campaign to “Keep Alberta RCMP.”
If Alberta decides to move away from the RCMP, it would take at least two years to set up a provincial police force and an additional one to two years to transition detachments away from the RCMP, officials say.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.