Canmore’s police committee has been around for six years and after a review of its format, very few changes are being recommended.
Manager of protective services Greg Burt was in front of council at its last meeting of 2015 to review what the police committee found after it went through its mandate.
Burt said the committee was originally formed to increase accountability of the RCMP to council and the community.
“My recollection was that council was not receiving regular updates and the RCMP were making staffing requests without information and oversight in general was not there,” he said. “The police committee was to act as liaison between council, the RCMP and the community.”
In 2014, council directed the committee to recommend changes, if needed. Burt said after reviewing its bylaws the committee has recommended remaining a formal entity with a bylaw, which would keep it as a member of the Alberta Association of Police Governance (AAPG).
“To completely disband did not really seem to be an option,” Burt said. “The community thought there should be oversight and accountability.”
He said remaining a member of the AAPG gives the committee the ability to vote on resolutions or propose them at its annual conference as well. The discussion on the committee’s bylaw review also included the AAPG and Alberta Justice and Solicitor General’s office.
The proposed changes to the bylaw presented to council at the meeting included an addition of a purpose statement, removing sections that duplicate the provincial Police Act, a clearer definition of its authority and updated membership composition and meetings.
The purpose statement reads: “The overall purpose of the policing committee is to act as liaison between council, the RCMP detachment and the citizens of Canmore to contribute to the goal of ‘Canmore is a safe community.’ ”
Burt said while the committee presented the strategic plan for the RCMP and budget to council for approval in the past, changes mean those items will come forward as information.
The final significant change was to the position of public complaints director. He said previously it was a standalone position, but due to the low number of complaints – less than one a year – the committee will now appoint a director from its membership.
