One candidate's call for change to the way the city is policed elicited jeers at last week's candidate forum, but she said changing it could save the city money without impacting safety.
Council candidate Cathy Heron told the crowd at the Arden Theatre that the "no call too small" model the RCMP have been using in St. Albert could be scrapped to save taxpayer dollars.
"It is a fabulous way to police if you can afford it," she said. "In order to continue with the no call to small we need to hire probably six new officers."
Heron, who sits on the RCMP community advisory committee, said she believes it makes sense to change the model.
"Right now they are getting a call that says someone broke into my car over the weekend and stole some spare change. Do we really need to respond to that?"
The model dictates that an RCMP officer will respond to every call for service the detachment receives. The calls are prioritized based on urgency, but police will respond to non-emergencies like stolen bikes and petty vandalism.
Last year, the local detachment used a computer program the RCMP uses nationally to develop staffing levels. The model takes information about the amount and type of calls officers respond to and is used to help determine appropriate staffing levels.
The force aims to ensure that at least a quarter of an officer's time is unallocated so they can spend more energy on proactive patrols and similar activities.
In St. Albert, the model found that 62 per cent of the time officers don't have that unallocated time.
The RCMP put forward a budget request in last year's budget that would have added six officers to the general duty section of the detachment.
The officers would have been enough to add one person to each shift and would cost the city $735,600 annually. Council did not approve the request.
The business case will likely return in the 2011 budget.
Insp. Warren Dosko said the city is also doing a review of its long-term policing strategy that will look at possibly changing the policing model.
He said "no call too small" is the standard in Alberta, but some larger communities have modified it to suit their needs.
"No call too small is the basic police service that the RCMP have always provided," he said. "It is pretty much a standard level of service that we provide."
Changing the model is a council decision, he stressed.
"It is very much a mayor and council decision because it is about resources."
Heron said she would like a unique model for the city, but at the same time if the community doesn't want to see the current approach change she will respect that.
"If it comes out that our community wants an RCMP officer in full uniform to show up at their door three days after their bike was stolen then that is what we will give them, but they are going to have to pay for it."
Mayoral candidates unconvinced
Both mayoral candidates said they don't believe the policing model has to change.
Shelley Biermanski said she doesn't like the idea of someone making the decision about what calls would not be responded to.
"I don't think that you can judge what calls are too small."
Mayor Nolan Crouse said he has heard some of the argument for changing the policing model, but he is not convinced that it makes sense for St. Albert.
"It is not something that I am subscribing to. I would have to hear a lot more."
Election day is Oct. 18.
