According to provincial officials, the proposed model with regards to a provincial police force would make community detachments serving small municipalities and rural or remote areas the 'backbone' Alberta Police Service.

"Under the current model, there is no minimum number of front-line officers; some detachments have as few as three officers. Under an Alberta Police Service, community detachments will be guaranteed a minimum of 10 front-line police officers," a press release from the province stated. 

Justice Minister Tyler Shandro said that the current deployment model is bureaucratic and heavily centralized.

"By moving to a provincial deployment model, we would be able to add 275 front-line police officers to the smallest 42 detachments. We can also make access to mental health, addictions, family crisis services, and other specialized police services more accessible to all communities across Alberta.”

The province claims that the provincial police force model that they are proposing would increase the number of police officers working in the smallest detachments, resulting in an increase in the number of police officers in rural Alberta, as well as an increase of front-line response by reducing the number of police officers deployed in headquarters and administrative roles. It would also allow providing better access to specialist policing services in rural and remote areas of Alberta.

The new model would have 65-85 community detachments that consist of a minimum number of 10 police officers and a maximum of 80 officers working in them.

"In addition to beefing up police in rural communities, a network of 20 to 30 service hub detachments, with a staffing range between 48 and 192 police officers, would serve residents of larger municipalities and provide support to nearby community detachments when needed, including mental health response."

These hubs across the province would support local policing while also providing specialized investigative units and other specialized services – such as tactical and canine units – traditionally based in larger centres. Putting these in hubs across the province would reduce response times during major incidents.

The deployment model also includes three urban hubs – southern, central and northern – that would serve larger communities and their surrounding areas and function as regional headquarters. As well as providing core policing to the local area, the urban hubs would be home to forensic services and investigative support functions performed by civilian specialists. The urban hubs would also support smaller detachments in their region as needed.

However, according to a report released at the end of April by the National Police Federation, the labour union that represents 20,000 RCMP members across Canada and the globe, the majority of Alberta’s residents do not want new provincial police. 

According to the Your Police – Your Future: Listening to Albertans report, Albertans want to see, “funding to prioritize improving the justice system, strengthening social services, and increasing police resources. Participants felt that these targeted investments would bring better and more immediate results to address crime within communities.” 

The KeepAlbertaRCMP Community Engagement Tour, which also had a stop in Airdrie last February as well as across the province saw over 1,000 participants and 38 in-person engagement sessions. The NPF conducted research between 2020 and 2022, which showed that only 9 per cent of those surveyed, supported the idea of replacing the RCMP with a provincial police force. A total of 5,160 respondents engaged in several surveys over the last two years. 

The report also noted that Alberta’s municipal associations, Alberta Municipalities (ABmunis) and Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA), both passed resolutions opposing the creation of a provincial police force. Both organizations represent over 300 municipalities across Alberta. 

“During engagement sessions, two main issues continued to be raised: associated costs and impacts to public safety,” the report stated. “Participants also shared their frustration over the lack of basic information surrounding the potential transition from the Government.” 

NDP Justice Critic Irfan Sabir stated the province's announcement is not a blueprint, but a 'boondoggle'.

"The UCP will spend hundreds of millions of dollars just to set up a new police force when what Albertans want is better policing focused on addressing crime and its root causes. That’s what I hear in Calgary, where Albertans are concerned about the rise in gun violence."

Sabir also underlined that Alberta Municipalities and the Rural Municipalities of Alberta have both passed resolutions against this plan. Rural leaders in more than 70 communities have sent the government a letter saying they don’t want this for their residents.

"No one is asking for this and the UCP needs to start listening."

The province has underlined that Alberta's government has not yet made a definitive decision about establishing a police service.

"This process can help ensure Alberta is ready to make a transition on its own terms if the federal government ends RCMP contract policing or reduces subsidies to provinces, territories and municipalities policed by the RCMP under contract."

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