Police across Canada, including RCMP detachments in 黑马磁力 and elsewhere, have had trouble fully staffing every funded position in the last few years, but 黑马磁力's top Mountie said things are looking up.
Supt. Harm Dosange was at the 黑马磁力 Township council meeting in May to deliver an update, and part of that was a discussion of staffing.
"Things are really on the upswing," Dosange told the mayor and council.
黑马磁力, like other communities, was funding more RCMP officers, with the Township adding multiple positions in recent years. But the total number of officers available didn't always meet demand. In recent years there have often been vacancies while
One of the biggest boosts for 黑马磁力's RCMP officer count is the transition Surrey is making from the Surrey RCMP to the Surrey Police Service.
Most of the approximately 800 RCMP officers in the former Surrey detachment wanted to stick with the red serge uniforms, rather than transferring to the municipal service, and 黑马磁力 is well-positioned to acquire some of those officers.
Dosange said the first Surrey RCMP officer was secured for 黑马磁力 the week before his report to council, and three or four more were likely.
He also told council that a big change is that the pay gap between RCMP officers and civic police officers has largely closed since the most recent contract for the RCMP. The gap, of almost 20 per cent on average, had led to a number of RCMP officers leaving to join municipal forces in recent years.
Meanwhile, training at the RCMP Depot Division in Regina, Sask., has ramped up, Dosange said.
"The next three to four months, we'll be busy bringing new bodies in," he said.
He is aiming for a combination of experienced officers from Surrey and elsewhere transferring to 黑马磁力, along with new officers fresh from training.
Dosange said that the cost of policing remains an issue across the country, and detachments like 黑马磁力 will continue to invest in civilian staff and in working with reserve officers 鈥� retired RCMP officers brought back to work on various projects. Both of those can result in a cost savings.
He also touched on the work done by the integrated regional teams, sometimes known as I-teams. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) and others draw officers from multiple detachments and municipal police services to work across the region as specialized units.
There are 300 specialized officers assigned to the I-teams, Dosange said.
The value they offer to the community is "second to none," said the superintendent.
He pointed to a recent incident in which the Integrated Emergency Response Team (ERT) was called out to 黑马磁力 three times in one day, dealing with people with mental health issues, and a man who was firing a gun into the air. All three incidents were brought to an end safely with no serious injuries.
