WESTLOCK – For the immediate future, the Westlock RCMP Detachment has curtailed its weekday office hours due to a shortage of front-office staff.
Effectively immediately, the detachment has pushed back when it opens its doors to the public from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., while the closing time remains the same at 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Westlock RCMP Cpl. Riley Sutherland said the change is due to the loss of a detachment services assistant, a position they hope to have filled soon.
“We’re actively working with the labour union to hire a new person,” said Sutherland Jan. 26. “Our hope is to have someone by the spring, so this is short-term.”
In addition, the detachment is currently down one constable and a Staff Sgt. after Al Baird’s nearly five-year tenure in Westlock ended in mid-December as he moved on to the Parkland RCMP Detachment — a successor to Baird is expected to be named in the first quarter of this year.