Sask. RCMP stretched thin, aim to restore faith of rurals
Saskatchewan RCMP say the vast areas they are called upon to patrol with finite resources contribute to long response times for rural residents, but police say they’re working to restore faith in the service.
Citing long response times, some residents have started carrying guns to protect themselves. On Thursday, RCMP officials said people should call 911 before taking the law into their own hands.
Supt. Mike Gibbs, head of central district, said the RCMP is doing what it can, but residents have a role to play in preventing crime.
“While we might long for the days when we didn’t have to remove our keys from our vehicles or lock our fuel tanks, those days are unfortunately gone,” Gibbs said. “What isn’t gone is how we look after one another. Keep an eye out for your own property and your neighbours’, but do it within the boundaries of the law.
“Carrying guns in anticipation of, or in preparation for, a confrontation is not safe for anyone and we don’t want anyone facing potential criminal investigations,” Gibbs added.
There is no target response time for calls from rural Saskatchewan.
Questions around rural safety surfaced after a Sept. 19 incident in which RCMP received a report of three masked and armed men approaching a vehicle in the Fiske area in what RCMP called an attempted robbery. An investigation is ongoing.
Ray Orb, president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, said SARM is working to address the issue with RCMP and other levels of government.
He said SARM recently entered into discussions with RCMP F Division commanding officer Curtis Zablocki about reinstating the rural community crime watch, something he hopes happens “sooner than later.”
“In the days and weeks ahead, SARM will be actually working through our policy department ... trying to come up with a better rural crime prevention strategy,” he said. “That’s the message we want to get across to the RCMP and the province next time we meet.”
Orb also noted Zablocki is set to speak at SARM’s midterm convention in November, where he’ll discuss issues around rural crime.
RCMP Supt. Kris Vibe said RCMP are making efforts to recruit more people and responds to calls based on priority, but noted the RCMP “doesn’t have resources to be everywhere in Saskatchewan.”
As people transfer in and out of detachments, Vibe said, the RCMP experiences vacancies. But as of the middle of September, 11.5 of the 924 positions were vacant. He also noted there are roughly 20 positions vacant due to other reasons such as sick leave or suspension.