News

New Rural Policing Model

The Province of Alberta has announced a policing plan that will see the addition of 300 RCMP officers and 100 support staff in an effort to combat rural crime.

The plan begins placing more of the cost of rural policing on communities, based on population size and assessed value. Rocky View County is the most populous rural municipality in the province, and has the fifth highest assessed value of all municipalities, so County residents and businesses will be paying a significant share of the funding.

At this time, costs to the County appear to be $826,000 in 2020, rising to $3.44 million annually over the next four years. The County’s Municipal Enforcement team will be working with the Province to ensure the costs are accurate, and to determine exactly what Rocky Viewers will be getting for their money. A plan will then need to be put in place to pay the bill, which is not currently in the 2020 budget that County Council has passed.

One of the things that determines how many additional police officers a municipality will receive is the crime rate. That’s all the more reason for County residents and business owners to report all crime to the RCMP. While the County is nowhere near the top of the list in incidences of crime, we still want to ensure our needs are accurately reflected when the Province begins distributing the new additional policing resources.

You can find RCMP non-emergency contact information, and see a rural crime map by clicking here. For emergencies, always call 9-1-1.

Watch future issues of Vantage Point for more information as this topic develops.

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Posted in: Vantage Point Bylaws & Enforcement News & Updates

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