OLDS — Until Feb. 12, the Town of Olds is conducting a survey on the future of policing.
The survey, conducted in partnership with Western Management Consultants (WMC), can be accessed here: https://www.research.net/r/Olds-Community-Policing-Survey
The findings of the survey will be used to help develop a policing business case that will be presented to town council later.
“The aim is to gain a clear understanding of the policing services in the community, as well as assess the value of money invested in these services,” a news release issued Jan. 31 said.
“After collecting all the necessary information, WMC will present a community policing business case that will include research, best practices, stakeholder input, and a financial analysis to help make informed future decisions.”
"Our goal is to evaluate the town's spending on community safety, explore ways to maximize its benefits, identify gaps in services and look at how we can make improvements," protective services director Justin Andrew said in the release.
“We encourage all members of our community to participate in this important survey and help shape the future of policing in Olds.”
The town is currently served by the RCMP.
The province approved an application by the Town of Olds for a $30,000 grant to study the feasibility of a municipal or regional police force versus RCMP
Chief administrative officer Brent Williams made the announcement during town council’s March 13 meeting.
“This is not an effort to get rid of the RCMP; quite the opposite, in fact. It’s just to better understand what policing in Olds looks like and what it could look like.”
During the meeting, Coun. James Cummings said was his understanding that the purpose of the study is to look at the feasibility of setting up independent municipal or regional police force.
“It has nothing at all to do with the Alberta police force option that the UCP has proposed. Is that correct,” he asked.
“Correct,” Williams said. “There’s been nothing released on the Alberta provincial police force.”
