The Grande Prairie RCMP and the city’s newly established Grande Prairie Police Service have been working together for several weeks now and officials say collaboration between the two agencies has become much more consistent.
Grande Prairie RCMP Staff Sergeant Groenen explains with the addition of six GPPS recruit officers operating out of the detachment, communication between units has continued to improve.
“The Crime Reduction Unit works in conjunction with pretty much every section in our detachment, which includes the Grande Prairie Police Service folks that are now working in our building,” he says. “There is open intelligence sharing through them, so coordinating the observations that the GPPS folks see out there, we share information with them all the time, they come back to our CRU teams and our frontline guys, that is ongoing, consistently now.”
Groenen adds that while there are no GPPS members assigned to any RCMP specialty units like the Crime Reduction Unit itself, officers from both agencies share information “all the time.”
“It’s the kind of hot spots and problem areas, so as we receive feedback from the GPPS folks they will assess those and let our guys know what else they’re working on and who they’re going to target, or what areas they are in,” he says. “So absolutely there is coordination and sharing of information and feedback as we work these files.”
GPPS Chief Dwayne Lakusta adds that collaboration between the two agencies has been “key” in the success of the transition so far, and will continue in the future.
“GPPS and the RCMP share a commitment to ensuring public safety and it takes strong partnerships and positive relationships to make that happen,” he says
A total of twelve GPPS graduates have hit the streets since their February 21st ceremony, with six operating out of the RCMP detachment and six working within the newly established GPPS Community Standards Unit.
