It took almost a year, but St. Albert finally has a new top cop. RCMP chief superintendent Shahin Mehdizadeh announced Friday that Insp. Pamela Robinson had been appointed head of the St. Albert detachment after consultation with the City of St. Albert. Robinson, who was on vacation and could not be reached by the Gazette, was expected to take her new post around mid-August, said Staff Sgt. Jeff Jacobson, acting head of the St. Albert RCMP. Robinson has lived in St. Albert for the last three years and was most recently the acting head of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) – a province-wide group that tackles organized and serious crimes. She has been with the force in Alberta for 17 years, policed five Indigenous communities and worked with the Project KARE; Missing Persons Unit. City council approved of Robinson due to her support for community policing and initiatives such as bike and golf-cart patrols on the trail system, said Mayor Nolan Crouse. She also lived in St. Albert, and had connections across Alberta through ALERT. It’s been a frustrating wait for the city to get a new top cop, given that Robinson’s predecessor, Insp. Ken Foster, moved to Red Deer last Aug. 24, Crouse said. “You need somebody who’s the first point of contact.” In addition to getting to know her staff and preparing for the city’s new policing committee, Crouse said one of the top files on Robinson’s desk when she arrives would be to bring the detachment up to full strength. “Right now we’re short 10 police compared to where we’re budgeted. We need to have her use all her connections that she’s got to get ourselves up to staff.” Mehdizadeh said in a statement that Robinson was excited to take up this position at the St. Albert detachment where she could ensure continued delivery of proactive policing and promote inclusiveness.
