Ryan Comaniuk News Today

New provincially managed force composed of sheriffs could improve policing in the city if it cooperates with Mounties, St. Albert councillor says.

“If the public complaints director position is erased, the public will have one less avenue available to voice their concerns to the [policing committee] and they would otherwise be directed to elevate their concerns elsewhere,” said RCMP detachment commander Insp. Ryan Comaniuk.

Comaniuk lists crime reduction, domestic violence, vulnerable communities as 2024 priorities

Local detachment has had an officer vacancy rate of around 25 per cent

St. Albert RCMP have a new acting commanding officer for the time being as the detachment's officer in charge, Insp. Ryan Comaniuk, has taken an extended leave of absence as of early last month.

St. Alberts RCMP are dealing with a staffing crunch. The number of job vacancies at the detachment have reached almost 30 per cent, meaning fewer proactive policing efforts in the Edmonton bedroom community.

St. Albert RCMP's top-cop Insp. Ryan Comaniuk says the detachment is currently trying to manage a nearly 30 per cent officer vacancy, and most pro-active policing efforts and neighbourhood patrols are going to be scaled back in the months to come as a result.

Police reported crime in St. Albert increased 7.2 per cent in 2022. On July 27, Statistics Canada released the 2022 Crime Severity Index (CSI) which showed a national increase of four per cent in police reported crime, the City of St.

With a preferred ratio of one police officer per thousand people, St. Albert RCMP is running at around 80 per cent of full staffing.

“From our perspective, the current position isn’t financially sustainable. It’s too demanding on employees and volunteers, and we feel that in some cases, unfortunately, victims are underserved,” St. Albert Victim Services board chair Lyle Toop said.