BARRHEAD-The town of Barrhead mayor Dave McKenzie , who is also a former RCMP officer, is concerned that the proposed changes to victim services units (VSU) will not only mean reduced service to the people who need help the most but to the frontline police officers.
The Alberta United Conservative Party (UCP) government is currently reviewing the service delivery model of VSUs.
Specifically, they are looking at which one of three organizational models to switch to which would change the way VSUs are governed. The models include amalgamating the units into larger zones, being headed by a provincial employee, or having them run under municipal government umbrellas.
The Barrhead VSU is a non-profit organization that helps support individuals who are the victims of crime, trauma, death or other emergencies in Barrhead, Swan Hills, Fort Assiniboine and Big Lakes County. Most often the VSU volunteers, or volunteer advocates, are called upon at the request of the RCMP, but also receive referrals from fire services, the Crown Prosecutor’s office, healthcare centres, and ambulance crews.
They are also looking at restricting the type of traumas or tragedies in which volunteer advocates respond to, namely those incidents where their client is the direct victim of a crime. All the models would also restrict VSUs from being housed in federal government buildings. Presently, many VSUs share space with the RCMP.
These are the changes that concern McKenzie the most.
"I was in policing before [VSUs] were introduced and after. I can tell you about the difference they made in the lives of victims, and the RCMP members who attend such scenes. It has been nothing but positive," he said.
McKenzie said the creation of VSUs was intended to help free up police.
Originally, he said, volunteer victim advocates would be dispatched to scenes where a criminal activity had taken place, such as an assault and provide support to the victim.
"Which was great, because when the VSU arrived, they would step in and provide all the supports victims might need, freeing us up to continue with our criminal investigation or go on to where we were needed next," McKenzie said.
He said it did not take long to discover that VSUs could be called upon to help victims of trauma or tragedy in incidents that did not involve criminal activity but police still attend.
"It could be in the next of kin situation, where a mom, dad or kids have been killed in a car collision or a suicide ... there are lots of situations that police attend that are not criminal but are called on to help victims of a trauma," McKenzie said. "Now the province is saying that they don't want victim services units to attend these type of calls, just the ones where people have been a victim of a crime."
He said he does not understand the province's rationale as it comes at a time where they have repeatedly said they are going to put more resources into reducing crime, especially in rural areas.
In 2019, the province announced that they would hire 200 additional civilian support workers and 300 RCMP officers. The government also stated that starting in 2020, rural municipalities and those with populations under 5,000 would have to contribute 10 per cent of policing costs. Their share will rise every year until it reaches 30 per cent of policing costs by 2023.
"I have a big issue with this," he said. "If they think this is going to help put more boots on the ground, they are mistaken."
McKenzie used the example of where an officer responds to a report of a suicide, which is not a criminal matter.
After determining the death was a suicide before VSUs were introduced, a police officer would often remain with the victim for hours, providing what comfort and support they could until a family member or friend arrived.
"Meanwhile, your calls for service are backing up. That is so wonderful about victim services. It alleviated that responsibility from the officer, while still giving support, possibly even better support to victims of trauma and allowed them to get back onto the street."
He also noted that by taking that responsibility away from the police, not only does it allow them to get back to their jobs, it helps their mental health.
"It eats away at your ability to deal with this stuff, so if you can deal with the policing aspects and then turn it over to victim services, it is a little easier on the mental health of the officers," McKenzie said.
He also questions the decision of forcing VSUs to vacate RCMP premises, saying that having them work from the detachment is beneficial for multiple reasons.
From an economic perspective, McKenzie said, having VSUs in the same building eliminates much of the overhead for the units, such as rent, utilities and basic office supplies, but it also helps both the police and the VSU do their jobs better.
"Victim services units and the police service work so closely together they need to have that relationship or connection," he said. "When an investigator is doing something where there is a victim of crime, trauma or tragedy, the VSU needs access to some of that information in that file, so instead of walking down the hallway, they would have to make an appointment, et cetera ... it is just cumbersome. The time delay learning about the situation adds to victim services response time. Plus it just helps build that relationship, so officers know what VSUs have to offer."
It should be noted that in cases where VSUs are in police buildings that are not owned by the federal government, such as in Barrhead, VSUs would be allowed to remain in the detachment.
The only reason McKenzie can come up with why the province wants to limit VSUs to crime-related incidents is that they are funded through the Victims of Crime Fund.
The fund was created in 1990 and comes from provincial fine surcharges imposed following convictions to help crime victims through financial relief and support programs, many of them being provided through local victim support units.
However, he notes that the bulk of the fund comes from the Victims of Crime surcharge on traffic tickets.
"The amount of money that comes in from the courthouse for theft or other crimes does not compare to what comes in from violation tickets," McKenzie said. "If this is what's funding it, then why shouldn't victim services units be able to respond to fatal traffic collisions? Ultimately it is about providing support to our citizens to help them get through a traumatic situation where the police are involved — the number of times I had to do a next of kin versus the times I had to sit with someone who was a victim of an assault — there is no comparison."
One solution does not meet all
Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock UCP MLA Glenn van Dijken said to his knowledge, no final decisions on whether or not the province would be changing the way VSUs deliver their services.
The government created a task force (headed by Airdrie East MLA Angela Pitt and Lethbridge-East MLA Nathan Neudorf) more than a year ago to review various aspects of how VSUs operate.
"As with anything, we have to evaluate how the money is bringing spent and does it bring value back to the province," van Dijken said, noting the task force's work is complete. Their report is now in the hands of the Ministry of Justice.
The report and its recommendations have not been made public.
van Dijken said the task force work was necessary because of the differences in how VSUs operated across the province.
"[How they are organized] can vary greatly, and they are utilized more effectively in some jurisdictions than they are in others," he said, adding the Barrhead VSU is one of the most effective.
van Dijken said while the government needs to ensure they are getting the "best bang for the buck", it is important to realize that the needs of every community can vary greatly.
"Government sometimes tends to try to come up with one size fits all solutions. Victim services units in small rural, provide a much-needed service," he said.
van Dijken added VSUs in rural areas often provide services that their urban counterparts do not because RCMP in small communities do not have access to the same resources available in large urban centres.
"I relayed that to the members in government and I caution them not to use a one size fits all approach," he said.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
