Why these communities are looking for policing alternatives
CTV
An RCMP officer shortage and rising crime rates are forcing rural communities to look for a new kind of policing solution.
An RCMP officer shortage and rising crime rates are forcing rural communities to look for a new kind of policing solution.
More than three years ago, Ste. Anne Police Chief Marc Robichaud began hiring and training community safety officers (CSO).
''For the most part the majority of the calls that we get would fall into the realm of something that a community safety officer could handle,” Robichaud said.
"I would be hiring more community safety officers before I hire more regular officers because a lot of what we deal with here you could certainly deal with community safety officers."
That includes enforcing traffic laws, speaking about public safety, and mental health escorts.
Cody Dzik became a CSO a year ago after volunteering with Ste. Anne police service.
"It allows the regular service police officers to focus on their core duties and kind of elevate some of that stress and allows there to be a greater presence on some of these other activities that are perhaps lesser risk"
Admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki’s defence lawyers have argued the accused had a history of schizophrenic delusions culminating in ‘catastrophic circumstances,’ while Crown prosecutors say the killings of four vulnerable Indigenous women were driven by Skibicki’s racist views and deviant sexual urges.