That is what Sgt. Bob Dodds told Town of Barrhead councillors during their March 23 meeting. Dodds was at the meeting to present the detachment's 2021 annual performance plan (APP).
The APP is a document that outlines the detachment's policing priorities and is created with input from the municipal governments that it serves as part of its public engagement component.
The Barrhead RCMP Detachment serves the Barrhead communities, a portion of Woodlands County (specifically the Fort Assiniboine area) and a small portion of Lac Ste. Anne County.
Later in the meeting, councillors endorsed the APP as did Woodlands County councillors earlier the same day. Dodds will be seeking input from County of Barrhead councillors on April 6.
This year Dodds has also asked the public to comment on what they believe the detachment's policing priorities should be via e-mail by March 30.
"Typically, what we hear from municipalities that we serve is that they want enhanced police visibility and I don't see that changing," he said.
In past years councils have included initiatives to reduce property crimes, enhanced traffic safety and enhanced drug enforcement.
The latter, Dodds said, is something he believes would be especially effective.
"In my experience, the vast majority of crimes to a great extent are the result of drug use. Addictions fuel everything from theft to family violence and are the root of most of our crime problems," he said.
Mayor Dave McKenzie said drug enforcement encompassed a lot and asked if he had specific targets in mind.
"I think we've all realized that targeting users is not going to accomplish much," Dodds replied. "The next step is targeting the dealers ... this is a small community and we know who is doing what. We need to find the time and resources to deal with these people and curtail their activities."
Coun. Rod Klumph agreed with the approach, saying people charged with simple drug possession charges are just released the next day.
In many cases, they are not even held in custody that long noting, Dodds said.
"Current legislation dictates that anyone charged with offences is released as fast as possible and in the least onerous way ... it is not a revolving door but a spinning one that spits people out as quick as they came in. No one is going to go to jail for simple possession," he said. "And perhaps they shouldn't. We need to focus on dealing with their addiction as well as the offence they committed to feed it."
Staffing and visibility
Councillors Dausen Kluin and Klumph said while they agreed that police visibility should be part of the APP they questioned how much of a role it should play in policing.
They said the majority of criminal activity happens at night when police are less likely to be seen, adding they would be willing to sacrifice some visibility if it meant more night-time and early morning patrols.
Dodds assured the councillors that those shifts and patrols are happening but said staffing is always going to be a challenge given the large geographic area they need to cover but admitted there are gaps in coverage.
During a 2019 Barrhead RCMP town hall, then-RCMP regional manager Staff Sgt. Luis Gandolfi said that true 24 hours seven days a week coverage is nearly impossible with detachments under 20 members.
Currently, Dodds said Barrhead detachment staffing level is almost at full strength. Although the corporal position is still vacant, they have their full slate of general duty constables, seven in total. They also temporarily have an extra member on loan from Westlock while he awaits a transfer.
Given the UCP government's commitment to putting more "boots on the ground", McKenzie asked whether there has been any talk in the RCMP about resurrecting the auxiliary program.
The RCMP introduced the program in 1963 to enhance community-based policing and allow citizens to participate in law enforcement on an organized basis. Auxiliary constables provide a complementary service assisting regular members while under their supervision.
Dodds said while the program still exists, it is not what it once was.
"It is about liability," he said. "When I started operational policing in B.C. 28 years ago, auxiliaries carried sidearms. Five years later, they took those away and slowly started to scale back what they could do. Realistically, in a community like Barrhead, there are so few roles that they could fill, it is not worth pursuing."
However, Dodds is hopeful that the detachment could see an additional one or two members within the next two years. Ideally, he would like to see it be another corporal position saying, Barrhead has several members new inexperienced members.
"That is a trend that is likely to continue," he said. "There are fewer lateral transfers. Any new members we receive are likely to be from depot and an extra supervisory position would be helpful in getting the best from our resources."
Armed robbery update
Dodds said the detachment is making good progress in attempting to solve last week's armed robbery.
On March 18, at about 10 a.m., a man brandishing a firearm robbed Apollo Jewellers stealing a substantial amount of product.
Police have found some commonalities with similar crimes in Edmonton and they are working with the Edmonton Police Service to see if there is any connection.
Dodds also said with the help of the Eastern Crime Reduction Unit (CRU) at the time of the robbery, they managed to learn that the suspect had been captured on at least four video security systems.
"As a result, we know the vehicle he was driving and some other things about him, so we have had some good luck so far," he said.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
