A shortage of RCMP officers in the Town of La Ronge is frustrating municipal leaders who feel the community is not getting the level of service it is paying for.
Mayor Colin Ratushniak said the Mounties are 12 staff short in that northern community to accommodate the calls for service.
La Ronge is part of the Enhanced Community Policing Program, where the RCMP is allocated an additional $400,000 annually. As part of the three-year agreement officers must commit to 80 percent expanded policing within the community.
“When you look at what is required outside of our enhanced policing contract as it is, to me, it seems like the federal government is falling short on those numbers,” explained Ratushniak. “We’re trying to be ahead of the game, but still feeling like we’re not getting our head above water with delivering what we promised to the residents of La Ronge.”
A resolution at the SUMA convention this week, called on the province to enforce Enhanced Community Policing agreements and to develop a policy to require the RCMP to adhere to the specifications of the contract.
“We also aren’t receiving very detailed reports on what we are actually getting. It’s hard for us to justify spending that money if we’re not seeing very detailed reports. For a little while, here, we’ve been receiving a little more thorough reports, but then it sort of falls off,” Ratushniak said.
He explained the Town does not take issue with the local detachment or its officers, but ensuring RCMP are properly staffed for the area. Local leaders recently met with the provincial government and the RCMP to express their concerns, with Ratushniak being assured reinforcements are on the way.
“We’re not going to band-aid, we’re not going to support this on the backs of our taxpayers who are already paying for policing, through your federal government. So, at some point, we have to figure out where the balance is,” said Ratushniak.