Brooks and area to conduct regional policing study

The City of Brooks has applied for a grant looking to evaluate the possibility of municipal policing in the city and Newell County region.

The grant, the Alberta Indigenous and Municipal Police Transition Grant, is a one-time grant that would provide for a feasibility study to look into different models of policing for the area.

“For a little background, I think these grants started when the government was looking at an Alberta Police Force. They opened it up for communities to kind of study policing,” said Brooks Mayor John Petrie. “At this point, it doesn’t look like there are plans for a provincial police force, but the grants are still available.”

This study is planned to be conducted through the Joint Services Committee, said Petrie, which consists of Brooks, the County of Newell, Duchess, Bassano and Rosemary, with all five municipalities coming together to have the study done for policing in the area.

“For Brooks, a lot of times, policing costs are one of our biggest expenditures, no different than what it would be in the City of Medicine Hat, and RCMP would be one of our biggest expenses,” said Petrie. “So a lot of times we weigh the difference. Should we get another RCMP officer, or should we have a community police officer?”

Another driving force behind the study, said Petrie, was rumours that the federal government may be looking to get out of contract policing. While he adds that speaking to RCMP on the local level has gotten affirmation of their commitment to contract policing, if it would end, municipalities would need to arrange for their own enforcement.