Town of Sexsmith Mayor Kate Potter says her top priority, and the top priority of other municipal leaders in the region, is the safety of their residents.
Before the City of Grande Prairie’s vote on moving to a municipal police force Monday, Potter told MyGrandePrairieNow.com that right now the rural RCMP detachment is located in the same building as the city detachment in Grande Prairie. Potter says this will mean some challenges as the city moves to a municipal force.
“But I don’t see it as impossible to overcome and I am hopeful, to be honest, that it might help precipitate some changes,” Potter says. “We have been advocating for a long time for the detachment to be moved out of the City of Grande Prairie, and into the county.”
Potter adds the hope is with the city making this change it will mean there will be some changes and movement on the rural policing side, improving the service for those in Sexsmith and the region.
She says moving the rural RCMP detachment into the County of Grande Prairie would help ensure better response times for county residents, and right now Clairmont looks to be a possible location.