Members of the St. Albert Policing Committee are planning to spend the next year increasing their visibility in the community.
Kris Wells, chair and spokesperson for the policing committee, said during the committee's first year in action, the group focused on public consultation and visibility and want to continue to raise awareness about the committee in the community.
The committee formed in 2018 and spent much of the year working to find ways to consult the public. One of the highlights of the year for Wells was a public survey the committee conducted to get feedback on the RCMP’s annual policing priorities.
“It was another great opportunity for us as committee members to get out into the community to let people know about the survey and then to really take those results to help set this year's priorities,” Wells said.
The chair said one of the roles of the committee is to help foster a positive relationship between the RCMP and the community, including marginalized groups or anyone who may not be comfortable with the police.
“I think it takes (intention) and thought ... to be able to examine some of our practices to see if there are barriers that we can help remove or alleviate. Policing has been a hostile experience to many vulnerable communities. A big part of it is thinking about how we can build a sense of trust and relationship,” Wells said.
The committee will have representation at St. Albert Pride and will also be set up at the St. Albert Farmers Market for several weeks in the summer.
Wells said the policing committee meetings were originally held in the St. Albert RCMP detachment but decided to move the location after hearing that some community members didn’t feel comfortable going into a detachment for a meeting. They have since been holding meetings at Fire Hall 3 and at St. Albert Place.
Public complaints director
While the committee has made strides in becoming more visible in the community, the one item they were not able to check off their list was to activate the public complaints director role.
“It's an issue of concern to us that citizens have that mechanism available should they have a complaint with the RCMP, to be able to direct that complaint as a starting point through the committee,” Wells said.
The chair said the big hang-up for activating the role is the differing interpretations of the Police Act.
“It's been a matter of trying to get some clarification and moving forward. We know the Police Act is woefully outdated but it could be some time before we get a modernized Police Act in place, so you get caught in the in-between space.”
Wells said he is optimistic they will be able to get that role activated over the next year.
Insp. Pamela Robinson told city council on April 23 the challenge has been working with the Police Act and the complaints commission for the RCMP.
“It’s manoeuvring within different legislative policies to try to find something that’s going to work,” Robinson said to council.
“For the city, the mechanism for making a complaint against the RCMP or any police officer of service is always there and will always be there. It can come either to myself directly through the RCMP or through the CRCC (Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police),” Robinson said.
Currently the St. Albert Policing Committee is one of seven policing committees across the province.
