BOYLE – Village of Boyle councillors got a chance to speak to Alberta's top Mountie about local law enforcement issues and their first question was: how can we help?“
Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki, the outgoing Commanding Officer of the the Alberta RCMP (K Division), came to council Boyle Jan. 3 for a followup visit from last fall's Rural Municipalities of Alberta conference.
Our big concern, or wish, is to be involved with our police force in a way where we get to know them, and so they can get to know the community,” said mayor Colin Derko, who highlighted engagement efforts like the Dec. 7 emergency responders’ breakfast.
“The members and the team here are doing a great job. So, what can we do to make sure the detachment is supported by the community, and to make sure they know they have the support of the municipality and the council?”Zablocki said the answer was multifaceted. As he put it, no one agency, can tackle community safety issues by itself, so having a municipality that was willing to bring different voices together when needed is a big asset. Boyle isn’t near the point where intervention like that would be needed, but Zablocki and his staff did note some increases in property crimes and break-and-enters.
“It’s certainly not at a critical point by any stretch, but it is having an impact on community members which is always a concern,” said Zablocki. “We want our police officers to be a part of your community, so we’re on the same page there. We’re coming at it from both ends which I think is the right approach.”
Despite the lack of concerns with their local police officers, Boyle councillors did offer to lend their voice to two common areas of concern in the province right now: police costs for local municipalities and so-called “catch and release” policing efforts.
“With the costs of policing and its download onto the municipalities, how is that affecting you guys?” asked Derko. “How should we be lobbying to make sure we aren’t going backwards?”
According to Zablocki, the province had given the Alberta division full discretion to apply the $286 million pledged in 2019 for a five-year period, as long as it went towards front-line policing. As a result, with the help of some computer calculations and the Alberta Police Advisory Board, the Mounties reached a staffing number that would allow constables to spend a third of their day working on “proactive policing,” across all 113 detachments.
“Boyle was in good shape right from year one in terms of constable positions,” said Zablocki, who said the detachment gained an administrative assistant instead. “In their typical day, the constables have 35 per cent of their day for proactive policing. It’s time they have available to be engaged in the community, be involved, and work with the community on crime prevention.”
Derko asked if repeat offenders an issue across the province, or if it is more of a regional issue.
“You’re exactly right, we hear that from our communities frequently and often,” said Zablocki, who narrowed the issue down to unused courthouse capacity and bail reforms that have made it easier for non-violent offenders to avoid remand.
“If you look across rural Alberta, there’s tons of courthouses that aren’t being used near to their capacity … The Crown is adding prosecutors, but they need to add more court time.”
Derko semi-seriously espoused what he called his “redneck” views on the matter, saying that while “locking them up and throwing away the key” would work, the issue was more complex than that.
“The best way to stop crime is to buy them a bus ticket, but all that does is make it someone else’s problem."
