Alberta public safety minister raises concerns about province's RCMP vacancy rates

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The Alberta RCMP officer emptiness fee stands at 21.6 per cent, stated Mike Ellis

Printed Apr 15, 2024  •  3 minute learn

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Alberta’s public security and emergency providers minister says he must take motion to handle the shortage of police protection in some areas of rural Alberta.

Mike Ellis stated Monday that emptiness charges inside Alberta’s RCMP detachments are an ongoing concern for the provincial authorities.

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The Alberta RCMP officer emptiness fee stands at 21.6 per cent, stated Ellis. The federal authorities has approved 1,911 officers for Alberta, however there are just one,498 officers within the province, a shortfall of 413.

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“Make no mistake, we’re paying for these providers that we aren’t receiving — that’s over 400 vacant RCMP officer positions for boots that aren’t on the bottom,” stated Ellis throughout a web-based roundtable dialogue with rural media Monday.

Of these vacant positions, 177 officers are on “some form of go away,” costing Alberta taxpayers $16 million, stated Ellis.

“We’re already paying $16 million for providers that we’re not getting,” he stated. “I have to get cops on the road responding to requires service.”

The Alberta authorities’s 2024 funds contains $377.8 million in RCMP funding, a rise of virtually $21 million from the earlier yr, he stated.

The RCMP are having recruitment points throughout Canada, however have made makes an attempt to handle the wants of youthful Canadians who may be eager about changing into cops, stated Ellis.

“However that’s one thing going to take a while,” he stated. “There are specific areas in Alberta the place there may be not 24-hour protection. That’s one thing that’s unacceptable, so I’m making an attempt to, once more, do issues what I can do to assume exterior the field in an effort to meet these wants.”

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Ellis, a former Calgary police officer, stated that regardless of the place somebody lives in Alberta, that individual ought to be capable to count on a police officer will arrive in a well timed method.

“Sadly, that’s not at all times the case, particularly in rural Alberta,” he stated.

Invoice 11 seems to type ‘an impartial company police service’: Ellis

In March, Invoice 11, the Public Security Statutes Modification Act, 2024, was tabled within the legislature. If handed, it might replace laws to type what the province calls “an impartial company police service,” with Alberta Sheriff peace officers skilled to a stage of a police officer in order that they will “correctly increase and assist” each the RCMP and different policing providers within the province, stated Ellis.

“We have now to get away from pondering that just one police service can take care of among the points we’re going through proper now,” he stated.

“The augmenting and supporting we’re doing with the sheriffs is in order that if you end up in rural Alberta and also you name 911 and there’s a sheriff that’s 5 minutes away and there’s an RCMP member that’s an hour and a half to 2 hours away, fairly certain you’re going to need the police officer that’s 5 minutes away attending to attempt that can assist you out.”

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Alberta Sheriffs are already performing policing duties, stated Ellis, mentioning that some are ALERT members and others are on gang suppression groups.

Critics have stated the transfer is an try and introduce an Alberta provincial police service to switch the RCMP.

Ellis has stated that Public Security Canada has signalled that the federal division won’t wish to proceed with contract policing.

“It will be negligent on my half if I didn’t simply put together for any sort of state of affairs,” stated Ellis, who talked about this “sign examine” throughout a Friday announcement that the province was offering a $550,000 annual policing grant to the southern Alberta city of Coaldale, which has not obtained federal police funding regardless of having an RCMP contract.

“If that’s not a sign examine, I don’t know what’s,” stated Ellis.

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