Alberta’s government says it is introducing legislation that will enable the creation of an independent police agency.
Officials say public safety and policing needs have evolved in the province and sheriffs play a vital role in working with police to support safer communities. If passed, they say the Public Safety Statutes Amendment Act, 2024 would update current policing legislation to establish a new organization that would work alongside police services across the province. Officials say that officers in the new agency would take on responsibility for police-like functions currently carried out by the Alberta Sheriffs.
The UCP believes these changes will improve the government’s ability to respond to communities’ requests for additional law enforcement support through a new agency that can operate seamlessly alongside local police in the policing environment. They say the new agency would be operationally independent from the government, as all Alberta’s police services are now.
Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services says, “These changes are part of a broader paradigm shift that reimagines police as an extension of the community rather than as an arm of the state. Having a new police agency perform these functions under the legal framework of policing legislation will ensure they’re carried out with the transparency, accountability and independence which Albertans should expect from law enforcement.”
Officials believe the proposed amendments would underpin the government’s ongoing work to strengthen the current policing model, saying the new, independent police agency would have the authority and jurisdiction to support the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), municipal police services and First Nations police services in Alberta.
This work is said to build on previous work done by the province to expand the role of the Alberta Sheriffs to increase public safety. Officials say the new agency would follow best practices, which include being subject to a civilian oversight board to increase public confidence and accountability. They say this board would have a role similar to local police commissions, which provide independent civilian oversight of municipal and First Nations police services in Alberta.
The UCP believes the creation of a provincial agency that can perform specialized law enforcement functions will enable police services across the province to spend more of their time focused on core operations and frontline duties.
The opposition New Democratic Party released a statement that says this announcement is another broken campaign promise by the UCP.
“This is yet another broken promise from Danielle Smith,” Says Irfan Sabir, Alberta NDP Critic for Justice and Public Safety. “The Premier said before the election they would not pursue a provincial police force. She said in May during the last campaign she wouldn’t bring in a police force. In August of last year, she removed it from the Justice Minister’s mandate letter. And yet, here we are, with legislation creating Independent Agency Police Services.”
Sabir Continues, “All of this comes instead of the UCP focusing on healthcare, education, affordability and drought issues that Albertans are concerned about. The RCMP has a contract in place until 2032. The Minister is lying when he suggests otherwise. An Alberta police force would be extremely costly for Albertans. Municipalities made it loud and clear they don’t want it, Albertans don’t want it, but Danielle Smith, yet again, doesn’t listen.”
Comments