The Government of Alberta is spending $4.3 million to establish two new plainclothes surveillance teams, led by the Alberta Sheriffs, to support police in northern and southern rural Alberta.
“These two teams are now fully operational and ready to tackle rural crime right across this province,” said Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis, during the July 18 provincial announcement.
In contrast to other surveillance units that primarily deal with serious and organized crimes, the two new teams’ primary focus will be to act as support units to assist police in combating “local crime,” such as property break-ins or fuel thefts to farmers, explained Ellis.
“These are the types of cases that cause plenty of concern for rural Albertans and they need solving as well,” he said.
Ellis also explained that due to the vast areas covered by many rural RCMP detachments, officers often struggle with conducting necessary surveillance.
So, the addition of the new surveillance teams “will significantly enhance law enforcement ability to surveil criminals and suspected criminals in rural areas where there's often little capacity... to do so,” according to the minister.
Assistant Commissioner Trevor Daroux of the Alberta RCMP said the teams are based in Calgary and Edmonton but will operate throughout rural Alberta, as needed.
Daroux said as the initiative is only six weeks old, it is still developing. They anticipate the demand for the new surveillance teams to grow as relationships with local detachments are established and developed.
To help manage this, those involved plan to implement a “priority matrix,” he said.
This system prioritizes cases dealing with “offenders that... make the most impact on the community,” he said. There will also be a focus on repeat offenders, particularly those involved in property crimes that significantly affect rural communities.
Daroux expressed his confidence with the newly established surveillance teams, noting they are trained in both static and mobile surveillance in both urban and rural settings.
The two teams will approximately cost about $2.1 million annually to operate.
Ellis also acknowledged staffing challenges within the RCMP in Alberta, stating the new surveillance teams are part of efforts to augment local police and ensure community safety amid recruitment and deployment issues within the RCMP.
“There is no safe haven for criminal activity in Alberta – full stop. We know that police in Alberta [on the] front lines already do a commendable job of finding and removing criminals from our cities and our communities. And they will now have an additional support and additional tool in the toolbox when it comes to gathering evidence and intelligence that will help further disrupt crime in our province,” said Ellis.
He also said that these surveillance teams are part of broader efforts to expand the Alberta Sheriffs' role in enhancing community safety.
Other measures include the expansion of the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit, which targets properties associated with illegal activities, and the RAPID Response initiative, which equips Sheriff Highway Patrol members to assist the RCMP with emergencies and high-priority calls.
Ellis said the provincial government will also continue to advocate bail reforms to the federal government.
