RCMP Watch

Rob Shaw (Victoria Times Colonist) - The population of Vancouver Island keeps growing, but the size of its RCMP police forces won’t — at least for another year.

The Island’s top Mountie, Chief Supt. Rick Betker, said he’s not expecting to get any new officers when the province approves his next budget in coming months. He had asked for 27, one of the largest staffing increases for the Island in recent years.

“I was being … hopeful for ‘08 and ‘09,” Betker said in an interview. “But since that time, so you understand, there are other impacts that occurred.” He added he’s now hopeful for increases in 2009 or 2010.

However, that’s not sitting well with the approximately 850 officers out on the streets, who complain about being overworked and unable to get adequate backup in remote communities where only one or two officers are stationed.

“The average officer on the road is disgruntled that they continue to work short-handed,” said Scott Warren, who speaks on behalf of members as the Island District RCMP staff representative.

“They come to the office on days off because they can’t get their work done at work. They are frustrated.” Mounties don’t necessarily blame Betker for the shortfall, Warren said. While RCMP Island District commands detachments from Sooke to Port Hardy, it takes orders from E Division headquarters in Vancouver.

The provincial government gives E Division a sum of money, representing salaries, every year as part of a contract to police the province. “The decision in terms of the amount the Island District gets really rests at E Division,” said Kevin Begg, B.C.’s director of police services in the Ministry of the Solicitor General and Public Safety.

Begg said the province has given RCMP headquarters major budget increases the past few years has and funded more than 400 new officers since 2004.

But Begg acknowledges there are big challenges on the horizon.

Last December, the RCMP issued a national backup policy designed to protect officers from being alone in dangerous situations.

Widely praised by officers, it has nonetheless left some rural areas scrambling to get backup for a one-, two- or even three-person RCMP detachment while juggling holidays, sick leave and training.

The problem is particularly evident in Vancouver Island communities with fewer than four RCMP officers, such as Zeballos, Galiano, Mayne Island, Texada Island, Port Alice, Gabriola and Kyuquot.

Making matters worse is another impending national policy that will prevent a Mountie from being alone in a boat. For some Island detachments, such as Kyuquot, the only way the RCMP officer gets to the community is on a boat, alone.

“We’re looking at a significant increase [in budget] just for the backup policy,” Begg said. He won’t say how much, but even if the province provides the necessary millions, it’s not confident the RCMP could provide enough new recruits to fill the positions, he said.

Begg is taking some funding numbers to the Treasury Board in October or November for consideration, he said.

Meanwhile, at Island District, Betker said he’s able to provide adequate policing by shuffling officers to and from different areas as pressure increases.

“Does it affect everyday policing? Yes it does. But on the other side of the coin, by being able to do that, is if we’re going to have a huge incident in Alert Bay, I have resources I can slide temporarily into Alert Bay.” Even with that help, Betker said he plans to decide later this year whether the RCMP detachments on Galiano and Mayne Islands should be closed.

“I might have to take these resources in Mayne and Galiano and bring them to Pender in order to deal with these backup and boat issues,” said Betker.

RCMP officers support such a move because the community needs to know how stretched the police force has become, Warren said.

“Who’s responsible for telling people paying their taxes that we can’t do stuff anymore?” Warren asked. “If we can’t properly police these areas, maybe we shouldn’t be.”