As part of the overall effort to reduce crime, the town of La Ronge now has three more RCMP officers.
The town is paying for the extra members at a cost of around $400,000 per year.
Mayor Ron Woytowich says discussions continued for several months before an agreement was reached. The mayor says members of town council will bring up concerns about crime, but will not be assigning duties to the new officers.
“We certainly cannot tell police what to do, who to charge, who to go after, that is not our role,” said Woytowich.
Josh Hallet is the acting staff sergeant for the La Ronge detachment. He says with the new members, they may try out some new law enforcement activities.
“We are going to have increased foot patrols and in the summer, we even hope to have some bike patrols as well,” said Hallet.
Hallet says the officers will do most of their work in the town of La Ronge, but will be available for other calls in the surrounding region.
He says another goal will be to spend time interacting with local business owners and students attending local schools.
(PHOTO: RCMP. File photo.)