Rural municipalities and communities with populations of less than 5,000 must account for an increase to their RCMP policing costs in this year’s annual budgets.
The new fee structure will see a $4.20 per capita increase for communities with an RCMP detachment, and a $2.60 per capita increase for communities that do not have a detachment. Rates will therefore rise to $56.65 per capita for communities with an RCMP detachment and $35.05 per capita for communities without a detachment.
With a rise in population, Grenfell cost for RCMP services will increase by nine per cent from $30,730.15 in 2011 to $33,975.15 in 2012. Broadview’s rates will experience only a slight increase from $32,046.95 in 2011 to $32,517 in 2012, due to a decline in population.
In a release, Corrections, Public Safety and Policing Minister D.F. (Yogi) Huyghebaert said the increase was the reflection of government’s commitment to sustaining effective and affordable policing while balancing the province’s share of policing costs with those directly receiving the services.
The current fee structure has not changed since 2006. Since then, the cost of RCMP policing throughout the province has increased by 57 per cent. In 2011-12, the province spent $149.7 million to support RCMP policing, including $62.7 million to provide policing to municipalities under 5,000 people.
The Broadview Detachment is staffed with 17 uniformed officers (including Kipling members and four Yorkton traffic service members) and three support employees.
While the RCMP detachment is located in the town of Broadview, services are provided to the communities of Whitewood, Broadview, Grenfell, Kennedy, Kipling, Windthorst, Peebles, Sakimay, Ochapowace, Kahkewisthaw, Cowesses, and the RMs of Silverwood, Willowdale, Kinglsey, Elcapo, Wawken, Hazelwood, Golden West and Chester.
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