Alberta releases provincial police force plan, stricter penalties for repeat offenders
By Isaac Lamoureux
The Alberta government has unveiled a bill aimed at holding high-risk offenders accountable and creating an independent provincial police agency.
The announcement, made by Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis on Wednesday, aims to address critical staffing shortages within the RCMP and tackle the rise of violent crime while implementing an ankle bracelet monitoring program to monitor high-risk offenders.
If passed, Bill 11, also known as the Public Safety Statutes Amendment Act, will feature two key amendments intended to protect Albertans by holding violent criminals accountable and responding to the evolving public safety needs in the province.
One amendment will advance Alberta’s sheriff service department into an autonomous police force.
The new independent force is poised to partner with existing municipal, First Nations police bodies, and the RCMP. The force will be subject to civilian oversight.
The new police force is not intended to replace the RCMP; instead, it will augment and support it, according to Ellis.
“Our aim here is to bring the police-like functions, that the Alberta sheriffs have taken on over time, under the same kind of legislative framework and civilian oversight as Alberta’s police services,” he said.
Ellis said the RCMP has indicated to him that they are more short-staffed than they should be.
“The RCMP just do not have enough human beings to police Canada, regardless of the amount of money that we give them. They’re having trouble from a hiring perspective,” he said.