RCMP Enthused About Temporary Deployments
Friday, January 30, 2009 at 15:03
A veteran RCMP officer says one-week deployments in northern communities can teach officers a lot.
The Saskatchewan “F” Division of the RCMP is sending around 200 officers until March for one-week temporary deployments to various communities across the province — including locations in the north like Beauval, Buffalo Narrows, Ile a la Crosse, La Ronge, Fond du Lac, and Wollaston Lake.
Staff Sgt. Doug Hardy says it ensures officers working in headquarters keep in touch with officers who are working on the ground, as well as with community members.
Hardy says it’s also important for officers to visit northern locations because he says many people in our province probably don’t realize just how different life is in remote communities.
He cites the cost of groceries and the fact some communities are still accessible only by plane as two examples.
The Saskatchewan RCMP is the only division of the force to use this program, but other divisions are considering the idea now, too.