The UCP government said Tuesday it will ensure indigenous communities and municipalities have the support they need to study what kind of police service best meets their local needs..The UCP government said it increased community safety by providing $6 million over two years for Indigenous and Municipal Police Transition Study Grants..The grants would provide indigenous communities and municipalities up to $30,000 each toward an independent study to determine if a local, self-administered police service or a regional policing model would be a better fit for their citizens.."No one knows a community’s needs better than the people who live there. This funding will empower municipalities to explore different policing models that will improve public safety and address their community’s unique needs," Alberta Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis said..The UCP government stated the Indigenous and Municipal Police Transition Study Grants were created to assist communities interested in exploring different policing models. The grants will help communities cover the cost of conducting necessary research into local public safety needs, gaps, capital requirements and transition considerations..To date, Public Safety and Emergency Services received grant applications from 13 communities that are interested in a different policing model to meet their needs. The department is reviewing the applications and working with other communities that have expressed interest in applying..“This funding provides municipalities with an excellent opportunity to study how best to meet their communities’ local and regional policing needs,” President of Alberta Municipalities Cathy Heron said..Under Alberta’s Police Act, towns and cities with populations greater than 5,000 are responsible for their own policing. The Police Act gives municipalities the option of having their own police service, forming a regional policing arrangement or contracting for the provincial police’s services (i.e., the RCMP under Alberta’s provincial police service agreement)..Under an agreement reached in September 2022, the Siksika Nation will get its own self-administered police service. Siksika developed a business case in 2021 with assistance from a $30,000 grant from the provincial government..Grande Prairie city council voted in March 2023 to create a municipal police service that will take over local policing from the RCMP..Over the next two years, the province will provide Grande Prairie with a $9.7-million grant to establish a local police service.
