RCMP staffing shortage

The Maple Creek RCMP Detachment is experiencing another staff shortage.
Sgt. John Phipps, detachment commander, said there were five members now in Maple Creek.
At full strength, the detachment has seven officers.
One of those to leave the town is Corporal Doug Lachapelle, who has relocated to Moose Jaw.
“We have one Constable vacancy right now,” Sgt. Phipps said.
He added that he did not wish names to be printed as some matters had yet to be finalized.
It is not the first time the detachment has faced manpower shortages. In October last year, Sgt. Phipps reported to Town Council that the detachment was down by two, which would soon become three.
He said a lot of RCMP detachments were struggling with manpower shortages, pointing out that the COVID-19 pandemic had hampered recruitment.
Sgt. Phipps told Council that local recruitment was handled in Regina.
The issue of staffing was raised again at this week’s Town Council meeting when Sgt. Phipps released the latest quarterly statistics for offences reported and/or committed in the community.
The report showed a relatively low number of offences in the area, comparable to the same period last year.
There were 120 occurrences between October and December 2021, the same as in 2020.
The community policing report showed:
•CRIMINAL CODE:
Sexual assaults/interference: Nil; Assaults (Spousal/other): 9; wilful damage/vandalism: 7; Break and enter: 4; Thefts: 6; Impaired driving/Over 0.08 per cent: 4; Disturbing the peace: 3; Fail to comply with conditions: 11; Other Criminal Code offences: 9;
•DRUGS:
Possession of drugs: 1; Trafficking: Nil
LIQUOR:
Liquor offences/driving suspensions: 3; Other: 5;
TRAFFIC:
Accidents: 1; Complaints/Charges laid: 20;
ASSISTANCE/SERVICES
Request to locate/missing person: 4; Sudden deaths: 1; Assist general public/other agency: 7; By-laws: 1; Other (False alarms, 911 calls, Mental Health Act, fires, family relations etc.): 30
Total occurrences: 120
Sgt. Phipps said there were no noticeable crime trends from the statistics.
Asked about the possibility of a town-hall meeting, Sgt. Phipps said he had not yet received the go-ahead for holding one. Perhaps a meeting could be held in the fall, he said.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Get More Maple Creek News →