Some rural RCMP detachments in B.C. may face personnel and service cuts following an announcement by RCMP Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Strachan that BC RCMP is facing a $10.7 million deficit.

As a result, immediate cuts in spending must be made as the RCMP cannot run a deficit. BC RCMP operate on a budget of more than $450 million, which funds rural detachments and special investigative units such as the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.

It is not yet clear if any of the five East Kootenay RCMP Detachments will be hit with cuts.

However, newly elected Kootenay-Columbia MP Rob Morrison has released a statement indicating his concerns about these impending budget cuts.

“Government, at all levels, has a responsibility to provide safety and security. Removing Mounties from small detachments across rural B.C. does not serve that responsibility and I am actively working with local MLAs on this issue,” Morrison said.

“The province of British Columbia is accountable to provide policing services by contracting the RCMP from the federal government. To ensure that the RCMP protects local communities, Conservatives believe that the local RCMP should be accountable to the communities they serve. Left unresolved this becomes a disservice to rural British Columbians,” he concluded.

Prior to serving the Kootenay-Columbia as Member of Parliament, Morrison served as a Senior Executive Chief Superintendent with the RCMP responsible for policing service delivery models throughout British Columbia.

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