Moosomin Broadview RCMP detachments combine resources
October 23, 2023, 4:46 pm
Ryan Kiedrowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
With a temporary shortage of RCMP members, the Moosomin and Broadview Detachments will be sharing resources for the time being.
That’s what Sgt. Damien Grouchy told those in attendance at the Oct. 17 Moosomin Chamber of Commerce meeting, noting that he and two constables are currently at the Moosomin Detachment.
“We still have our five constables, we have two that are off duty right now for awhile,” he explained. “Our job is to police the communities we serve, protect everybody and provide a service.”
Sgt. Grouchy stressed that the two detachments will remain independent, that the amalgamation is essentially sharing resources throughout both coverage areas.
This reallocation of resources will actually add more members and allow for enhanced service to the communities served, he said.
“Usually, we have two people per shift,” Sgt. Grouchy said of staffing at the Moosomin Detachment.
“At the end of October, we’ll be switching to five to seven members per shift to help respond to calls.”
Both detachments have a history of working well together.
An example Sgt. Grouchy provided was a recent search for a red Chrysler 300 involved in a gas and dash at Carlyle.
The suspect vehicle was last noticed in Wawota on Oct. 11, with patrols involving members from Moosomin, Broadview and Carlyle.
“While we were patrolling for them, we had another call in Moosomin of a person walking around with a suspected firearm,” Sgt. Grouchy said, adding that Broadview was dispatched to respond and had the individual arrested within 40 minutes. Incidentally, the individual is behind bars and police determined the weapon was a BB gun.
“In that situation, if we were called away, it would’ve taken us even longer to get up here,” he said.
Single-digit recruits for province
Dealing with lower numbers and having to shift resources between detachments is not a new problem.
In RCMP jurisdictions across Saskatchewan and Canada, staffing shortages are becoming more common.
Our province has an eight per cent vacancy rate when it comes to staffing in detachments; comparatively Newfoundland and Labrador tops the vacancy list at 17 per cent.
The training grounds at RCMP Depot Division in Regina isn’t churning out many members back into the province anytime soon either.
“Saskatchewan is getting only six new cadets from Depot up until April,” Sgt. Grouchy said at the chamber meeting.
However, a silver lining is that Moosomin will be securing one of those new recruits in November—a relative local to boot, calling the Yorkton area home.
“We’re just trying to keep providing the same service the best we can,” explained Sgt. Grouchy. “Once we get back to a sustainable number, we should be back to normal again. I just don’t know when that will be.”
He noted that the amalgamation will likely last at least six months.
