Goertzen asks Ottawa to take ‘immediate action’ to address Manitoba’s RCMP officer shortage

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This article was published 21/08/2022 (813 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The shortage of Mounties in rural and northern parts of the province is reaching critical levels, Manitoba’s justice minister says.

Over the weekend Kelvin Goertzen requested a meeting with his federal counterpart, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, over the provincial RCMP’s high job-vacancy rate.

In a letter to Mendicino, which Goertzen released online Sunday, he requested the federal government take “immediate action to develop a concrete plan” to address the shortage.

As of April 1, 2021, Manitoba had 987 RCMP officers, which is about 60 short of the positions actually funded, amounting to a six per cent vacancy rate — the highest in the country.

“The RCMP vacancy rate across detachments is a long-standing issue, which has become an increasingly serious concern for Manitoba given its significant impacts on public safety,” Goertzen wrote.

“I recognize that the Manitoba RCMP have little control over their own vacancy rate since the number of new recruits out of the RCMP Depot Division is managed nationally.”

He wrote that a temporary closure of the Regina depot — where prospective Mounties are trained — exacerbated the staffing troubles.

Goertzen also said recent information provided to him by RCMP suggests it’s unlikely the number of new recruits will sufficiently fill retirement vacancies over the next two years.

“The result is that staffing levels in Manitoba are likely to become even more challenging in the near future. This will be an untenable situation,” Goertzen wrote.

“Appropriate additional support is required so RCMP detachments can continue their vital work of keeping communities safe and enforcing the law.”

The new commanding officer of the Manitoba RCMP, Assistant Commissioner Rob Hill, said recruitment was one of his main priorities when he took the job in late July.

Some criminologists have linked the high vacancy rate to the Mounties grappling with a change in public expectations in policing, among other issues, while the National Police Federation union has linked it to a historically lower rate of pay for officers working in rural communities compared to municipal law enforcement.

In an interview earlier this month, Hill said the people the RCMP are looking to recruit are being courted by other law enforcement and security agencies, as well as other sectors such as technology.

“It’s challenging. How do we make it: ‘No, we’re an option you should choose ahead of that,’” he said at the time.

Manitoba RCMP communications and media relations director Robert Cyrenne said the Mounties did not ask Goertzen to make the request on their behalf.

However, he said: “The Manitoba RCMP has regular discussions with Manitoba Justice officials on a variety of policing matters within the province, this includes vacancy rates.”

Mendicino’s office did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @erik_pindera