The RCMP has eroded under poor leadership for years and the Prairie provinces should set up their own police service, according Carleton criminology professor Darryl Davies..Davies' statement comes after it was revealed Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has ordered her Justice Minister Tyler Shandro to work on replacing the RCMP with an Alberta Provincial Police force..“It comes as no surprise. Kudos to Alberta for taking this initiative as it is one the prairie provinces should have taken years ago. I think it would be prudent for Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to join forces and create their own Western Police Service (WPS) through a cost-sharing process,” Davies said in an email to the Western Standard..“The RCMP is an organization that has lost its way and is in chaos. The decision by the Alberta government therefore is not only the right decision, it is one that must be made to preserve the integrity of law enforcement in the province.”.Momentum for forming an Alberta police service began almost three years ago with hearings by the Fair Deal Panel and its subsequent report. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) gave Alberta Justice and Solicitor General an analysis last year, which was followed up with further consultation by the provincial government that carried through this spring. Smith authorized the proposal on November 9 in mandate letters to Minister of Justice Tyler Shandro and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis..Davies says the decision was precipitated not only by Ottawa’s indifference to Albertans, but also by a series of events that tarnished the reputation of the Mounted Police..“The decision for the Alberta government to hire their own police service is not only a reflection of the province's dissatisfaction with the RCMP it is only a strong message to the federal government that there is a price for not listening and ignoring the concerns of Albertans, whether it’s dealing with gun control, political interference, or lack of RCMP accountability to its citizens..“The RCMP have never recovered from the disastrous and criminal manner in which they dealt with Robert Dzienkanski at the Vancouver International Airport in 2005. The management of the RCMP have been arrogant and indifferent to criticism not only from the rank and file but also from members of the RCMP Veterans Association who have severely criticized RCMP management.”.Davies authored a report that recommended the force be equipped with patrol carbines, but the RCMP commissioner did not follow through..“RCMP management ignored recommendations from their own safety committee about the need for equipping their officers with patrol carbines and the result of this was the tragic deaths of Mounties in Moncton, New Brunswick..“Numerous government reports that have made important recommendations to change the structure, management, accountability and direction of the RCMP have been repeatedly ignored. Canadians particularly, First Nations people in the North and across Canada, have bore the brunt of this indifference by governments and the RCMP. The cost for these members and their families has been extraordinary, but what has the RCMP and the federal government done to address this problem? What they always do--which is nothing.”.Davies said “widespread sexual discrimination and intimidation,” revealed by class action lawsuits, continued under the watch of both Liberal and Conservative governments. The result, he says, less “trust and credibility” from the public..“The federal government…[has] appointed ineffectual individuals as commissioners who have neither the leadership, experience or management skills to make the cataclysmic changes that have been needed to address the myriad problems affecting the organization. The RCMP has been severely compromised by political interference and it has evolved into nothing but a mouthpiece for governments of the day.”.In April, an all-party committee of B.C. MLAs recommended its province ditch the RCMP in favour of a provincial force. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan are examining similar moves..Davies believes Alberta’s move will lead to a further devolution of RCMP jurisdiction..“This will in effect of course signal the demise of the RCMP as our national police service. In time the only remnant of what once was a proud and iconic symbol of our country will be found in the odd Ottawa tourist store in the form of a postcard.”
