RCMP officers in Castor have a new home.
A satellite station has been set up in the town office building replacing a small store front space across the street used for the last several years.
It’s been a big improvement, said Sgt. Colm Fitz-Gerald, commanding officer of Coronation detachment, where he and four officers also have responsibility for Castor, 30 km to the northwest.
“They like the new office, that’s for sure,” said Fitz-Gerald, who said the move was made at the end of February.
Besides having a lot more room, the office allows them to serve the public better. “We actually have a place to sit down now and actually talk to somebody to take a statement, or if they need to vent.”
The former shop was a tight squeeze.
“It was cramped,” he said. “When members had all their gear on they had to go out the door sideways,” he added with a chuckle.
Sharing a building with the town office also provides a safer location for the RCMP’s clerk, who staffs the satellite office Wednesday to Friday each week.
There is a door to the street as well as a door inside connecting to the town office. The partnership between the town and police also makes good use of previously unused office space.
Fitz-Gerald said while no officers are stationed permanently in Castor, they are in the town every day, either responding to calls or patrolling.