St. Albert residents were primarily concerned about the potential provincial police force during an RCMP town hall on Monday.
Insp. Ryan Comaniuk and Cpl. Morgan Kyle of the St. Albert RCMP detachment hosted the virtual meeting Sept. 12, which was live-streamed on YouTube. The town hall featured an overview of the detachment, crime statistics, and programs the detachment runs. RCMP also answered questions submitted by the public in advance.
Two questions were submitted to the RCMP, both of which addressed the recent Alberta provincial police study.
“What would happen to St. Albert RCMP officers if the Alberta provincial police service model was approved?” was the first question.
Comaniuk said the St. Albert RCMP would remain dedicated to serving the city and the residents of St. Albert. However, there would be significant transition period.
“It could take a number of years for a provincial police service to be fully integrated and operational. In the meantime … we'll continue doing what we have been doing,” he said.
Comaniuk spoke of the hybrid municipal police service in Surrey, B.C.
“The newly formed Surrey Police Service officers are working alongside or in conjunction with the outgoing RCMP in Surrey,” he said. “I'm not sure on the actual forecast for the length of that transition period. But I would suspect that a similar transition model would be implemented here if the Government of Alberta was to decide to onboard [a] provincial police service.”
Comaniuk said Surrey RCMP officers have the option of either joining the Surrey Police Service or relocating elsewhere within the RCMP.
The second question posted also addressed the potential provincial force: “I have been a St. Albert resident for close to 25 years and I don't like the fact that the St. Albert RCMP is controlled by the federal government, so why should they not be in favour of a provincial police service?”
Comaniuk said the Alberta and St. Albert RCMP are a federal entity, but they design their annual service delivery standards independently.
“There are a few misconceptions, but the fact is, each and every year detachment commanders across Alberta engage their elected officials and community stakeholders. Through a consultative process, they build the performance plan,” he said.
At the beginning of each year, Comaniuk and the St. Albert Policing Committee have a conversation around service priorities they would like to implement in the upcoming fiscal year.
“I need to emphasize that this process is very much discussed and customized at a very local level,” he said.
Comaniuk is anticipating a conversation around catalytic converters thefts in the new year.
Crime statistics comparing January to August of 2022 versus 2021 indicated there was a general increase in crime in the community, with an overall increase of 11 per cent.
Personal crimes were up 11 per cent; property crimes saw an increase of 17 per cent; break and enters increased by 38 per cent; there was a 51-per-cent increase in motor vehicle theft; and a 17-per-cent increase in theft under $5,000. Other Criminal Code crimes were down seven per cent.
“Some of those trends are getting back to some of the numbers pre pandemic, so nothing really alarming there from my standpoint. Things did taper off during the pandemic and this is just another sign that things are starting to return,” he said.
The town hall can be found on the City of St. Albert's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIVWjPCa8QQ
