The first Mountie for a new Central Alberta rural crime beat has been selected and will soon be on the job.
In an initiative bankrolled by Lacombe and Red Deer Counties, two plainclothes RCMP will team up to tackle a rising tide of rural crime.
“We’re very excited to get this initiative off the ground and see what kind of impact it can have,” said Keith Boras, Lacombe County manager of environmental and protective services.
“(Rural crime) is definitely a concern of our ratepayers in Lacombe County.”
The officer is from the area and will be able to get up to speed on the rural crime file quickly.
“They should have a pretty good understanding of the area,” said Boras. “I think it’s very beneficial to get somebody local.”
The general investigative services (GIS) officer, who is expected to be on the job in the next few weeks, will work with Central Alberta counterparts in Red Deer and other communities, such as Sylvan Lake, which has one GIS officer.
A second officer is expected to arrive in the summer.
Then-Blackfalds RCMP detachment commander Staff Sgt. Ken Morrison approached the counties with the rural crime investigator proposition last year.
The money was not in the RCMP budget to hire the officers otherwise, he said
Lacombe County agreed last May to a three-year agreement that will cost the county $462,000. In March, Red Deer County council had approved a similar commitment to spend up to $115,000 per year for a GIS officer.
Agreements had to be signed with the RCMP and an approval granted by the Alberta Solicitor General allowing the municipalities to fund the officers.
“It’s been a process. It’s taken about a year to get it going,” said Boras.
Municipalities have long had the power to pay for what are known as enhanced policing positions, he said. Lacombe County partly pays for school resource officers under the program.
“That avenue has always been available to us. This is really the first time we’ve taken it up outside of the regular school resource program.”
There have been no signs over the past year that rural crime is on the wane.
In February, commanders from the five RCMP detachments that work within Lacombe County’s boundaries, met with council to update them on the local enforcement picture.
“Based on that update, rural crime has not improved,” said Boras. “It’s still a big issue out there.”
pcowley@reddeeradvocate.com
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