Alberta’s government is getting pushback from some municipal leaders and support from others over its plan to build the sheriffs into a second provincial police service.
At the Alberta Municipalities convention in Red Deer, Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis was asked why the government doesn’t put its plans for a provincial police service to rest and instead put the money towards bolstering the RCMP.
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Ellis says it’s unacceptable that calls to the police aren’t being answered quickly enough, especially in rural areas, and he said some municipalities have asked for another independent police service.
He says the sheriffs are meant to augment and support other police services, but the RCMP is 400 officers short.
Meanwhile, the Mounties say the province is misrepresenting its workforce.
It says that of the 1,772 officers under contract in Alberta, only 306 positions are vacant in part because of sick leave and maternity leave.