Officers will notice a changed in structure at the Beaverlodge RCMP detachment, but that won’t have any impacts on the level of service provided.
Previously the detachment commander in Grande Prairie would also oversee activity in Beaverlodge. Chief Superintendent John Ferguson says due to growth in both communities they felt it would help to relieve the pressure on the detachment commanders in the city
“We feel that it would be better/more prudent for Beaverlodge to be it’s own detachment reporting directly in to the district office as opposed to going up through Grande Prairie. So really at the end of the day it speaks to the efficiencies that’ll be achieved.
Ferguson says the file load per member in the city and county will continue to be similar. Â It will also allow them to streamline their process.
“We feel that by Beaverlodge having it’s own detachment commander you can have someone there that’s going to be solely focused on the needs of that community and the surrounding areas around Beaverlodge.”
Wembley and Hythe are also part of the detachment’s jurisdiction. Ferguson say the growth around the region over the last ten years also made this seem like the right move.
All detachments will continue to work together when needed and there is no additional cost associated with this change in structure.