In 2018 I ran for Mayor on a platform that included abandoning the RCMP and forming our own local, made-in-Langley police force.
What was true then is still true now – the RCMP fails to provide the service that municipal police forces do across the province.
One of the benefits of contracting the RCMP to police a city has been the cost – they’ve been traditionally less expensive, as well as Ottawa kicking in 10% of the funding.
However, that is no longer true, either.
In the last year the cost of policing the Township of Langley has increased almost 25 per cent. If you look around our city, I don’t think you are getting 25 per cent more service.
The RCMP now has a union, which allows their members to have more protections, but it doesn’t change the top-down structure that constantly has the RCMP riddled with controversy.
A media outlet called The Fraser Valley Current put out a request to find out how often officers used force and drew their weapons.
After only a month the Abbotsford Police Department fully cooperated and divulged even more information, for the sake of transparency.
The RCMP? It has been a year and still they have not catered to this simple request, despite a mandate all federal departments answer requests within a month.
Clearly the RCMP is not serving the Township of Langley. It’s time for a fresh start.
References: