Over the next few years, the City of Humboldt may be extending the long arm of the law here in the city.
Mayor Malcolm Eaton, city manager James Moller and Coun. Roger Nordick attended SUMA's (Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association) Municipal Policing Forum Sept. 26-27 in Regina.
Around 75 municipal delegates from across the province attended the summit, to engage in informative sessions held by notable members of law enforcement, such as the provincial minister of justice and police chiefs from Saskatoon and Regina.
The main theme of the summit was to discuss the need for alternative policing as Saskatchewan's communities grow, Moller said in an e-mail.
"We want to eventually bring in additional forms of law enforcement to handle the smaller issues, so our highly-skilled RCMP officers can attend to the larger situations they're trained to handle," Eaton said.
With larger amounts of traffic and transient populations passing through Humboldt, Eaton said it has made his administration take a further look at the city's policing needs.
"We've been asking ourselves 'What should we be doing differently?'" he said.
Cities in Saskatchewan are empowered to appoint different types of law enforcement, in the forms of bylaw officers or officers from the Commissionaires program, many of whom are retired police officers; some communities, like Rosetown, contract out special constables (peace officers).
Peace officers have the authority to enforce traffic violations and pull over vehicles, among other minor infractions.
The addition of another form of policing is usually seen in growing populations; Saskatchewan communities are a good example of that.
"Our community is obviously growing and we're planning for that in any way we can," Eaton said.
One strategy the city hopes to employ is widening the communication with residents about how the city can be involved.
"We're talking preventive measures," Eaton said. "Doing forums and speaking engagements about fraud prevention with seniors, securing your home, pedestrian safety issues, things of that nature."
However, implementing additional law enforcement and safety procedures comes at a price.
Moller said that local governments are currently trying to find ways to control rising costs of policing, a service that comes out of the municipal budget.
"There's more people to police and monitor nowadays, and the services and skills used by the force are more complex, so naturally policing costs are rising," Eaton added.
"They earn every penny and their services are greatly needed and appreciated. We're just discussing different ways to address the higher costs."
Eaton estimated that the City of Humboldt spends around $450,000 annually on its contract with the local RCMP detachment.
The City is also currently in the process of filling the vacant position of staff sergeant with the local RCMP, after Sgt. Jeff Harrold left in July.
At the forum, Eaton said he was able to speak with new RCMP Chief Superintendent Brenda Butterworth-Carr about Humboldt, and the new staff sergeant the mounted police are planning on for Humboldt.
"She was very informative and insightful," Eaton said, mentioning that delegates were free to ask Butterworth-Carr questions after the session.
"She confirmed that the RCMP were in the process of hiring a new staff sergeant for our Humboldt detachment," Eaton said.
Although Eaton said that any plans for alternative policing in Humboldt are still in their infancy, he's encouraged by the progress the city has already made, especially with the local RCMP.
"A big theme at the summit was emphasizing the importance of the city and their local RCMP detachment having a strong relationship," said Eaton. "We already have a healthy line of communication with our officers, so we're on the right track."
However, Eaton was quick to note that bettering law enforcement in Humboldt will not just be the RCMP's responsibility; it'll involve the community too.
"Before any changes take place, we need to make sure the community is involved and is aware of things they can do to prevent crime as well," Eaton said.
"This will involve everyone."
