Town seeks County support for policing

Sharon McLeay
Times Contributor

 

The Town of Strathmore is hoping for Wheatland County’s support in hiring civilian “watch clerks” to assist RCMP officers in the town and county.
The watch clerks would work side-by-side with officers, attending to and alleviating administration duties, so officers would have more time to be in the field.
It is estimated that for every call, an officer has about four hours of administration time and paperwork attached to it.
There are currently 27 RCMP officers in the Strathmore detachment.
Strathmore RCMP Staff Sergeant Kevin O’Dwyer presented the option to Strathmore town council and Strathmore council approved its support. In turn, Strathmore Mayor Michael Ell requested in a letter to Wheatland County that they consider support for the idea, a strategic move to increase police presence in rural areas.
Increasing the amount of time an officer spends in the community rather than on paperwork means response times would be timelier, policing would be proactive instead of reactive, and communities would be safer through an increased police presence.
The town’s proposal noted the contributions funded by other municipalities in the area: urban versus rural complaints are 1,602 (53.8 per cent) to 1,326 (46.2 per cent), respectively.
“As you see, the rural contingency remains inadequate to properly police the vast area that the Strathmore detachment is responsible for, “stated Ell.
“Committing more funds to put people in place doesn’t mean you are going to get better services,” said Wheatland County Coun. Ben Armstrong.
A motion was made to respond to the Town of Strathmore to clarify the details, and to ask for a presentation to the municipal partnership meeting.