Staff Sgt. Phil Wilson confirmed to city council on Monday what many of them had long suspected: that RCMP resources in the city were stretched and they didn't have enough police officers to do some of the preventative aspects of the job.
Wilson met council Monday night to deliver his monthly crime statistical update for Battlefords City Detachment, with stats continuing to show a grim situation as far as major crimes are concerned for the year to date.
Crime is up for the year in the categories of person offences, break and enters, property offences, criminal code offences and drug offences. Person offence are up 40 percent for the year, property offences up 19 percent and criminal code offences up 3 percent. Drug offences were up 45 percent for the year. Business break and enters were up 147 percent for the year, and while residential break and enters are only up five percent for the year, a spike in that category has been recorded for the past several months, going back to last year.
For the year through July, calls for service are up to 8579 from 8539 for the same period last year.
Wilson said officers are so busy go from place to place to respond to calls for service that they have very little time left over to do preventative policing, such as going on foot patrols or looking for impaired drivers, or writing tickets.
He told councillors that the provincial standard that was recently brought in calls for officers to have 35 percent of so-called "unallocated time" that is normally set aside to do that type of policing.
That is considered an "acceptable level," Wilson said. If ten members are on the street, he explained, 35 percent of their time shouldn't involve going from call to call.
The Battlefords RCMP aren't even close to that number, Wilson said, noting it was a low number around six percent. Wilson told council that about five new officers were needed for the city to come back to that level.
Wilson said officers were also stretched for time when it came to doing up the necessary reports for the files.
The description of the situation facing the RCMP alarmed city councillors who have long called for the RCMP to step up foot patrols and show a greater visible presence around the city, particularly in the downtown core.
"We need more resources here. We need men on the streets," said Coun. Trent Houk, who has been calling for the revival of Neighbourhood Watch in the community.
Coun. Ron Crush noted that one night he had gone on a bike ride through the community during the early evening and the thought came to him that it was a shame that he hadn't seen a member in a patrol car yet. Just as he had that thought, though, a police car drove by on a random visibility patrol.
"We've got to be on those streets and more visible in some capacity," said Crush, saying it shouldn't simply be a care of going from point A to point B all the time.
City manager Jim Toye told council that North Battleford made its case for more police officers during the recent visit of Premier Brad Wall and corrections minister Yogi Huyghebaert to the community and also at the previous SUMA convention.
Toye said the city plans to talk with the main individuals involved in the provincial government to further ask for more police officers. He also noted it "would not come at no cost" to the city, noting the money will have to come from taxation.
The province had previously announced plans to add 30 new police officers around the province, but North Battleford had not been slated to receive any of those new officers.
Councillors were quick to call for more officers to North Battleford.
Coun. Rhonda Seidel was one of those calling for stepped-up lobbying efforts for more police officers, saying the city should "not wait" on the issue. She also said taxation to provide for public safety was something that people could understand.
"If those stats are the way they are, we cannot sit back and just let it happen," said Seidel.
