‘Perseverance’: Battlefords RCMP commander reflects on 2024 and looks ahead to 2025

“That was a lot of work on the members’ part,” he noted.

Recognizing that different types of offences are “interconnected,” he believes that proactive policing tactics, such as curfew checks or traffic stops, are key to reducing potential serious and violent crimes in the community.

“When you’re getting out and stopping a lot of vehicles, some of those vehicles have guns, but you can never say for certain that a gun seized in one of those vehicles would have been used later,” he said.

“But the fact that we’re seeing firearms being seized from vehicles because we’re pulling more vehicles over, and then we have seen the reduction in firearms offences, I think, points to the fact that this proactive type of policing does, at the end of the day, is to bring some of the numbers down.”

Building Bridges with First Nation Communities.

The other proud achievement was building trust with First Nations communities, notably through the efforts of the Community Tripartite Agreement (CTAs) unit.

CTAs are established in partnership with First Nation communities’ security teams to deliver specific police services to address each community’s unique needs. As Gilbert said, the goal is building relationships, not strictly focusing on policing.

A group photo featuring the Sweetgrass First Nation Security Team alongside Saskatchewan RCMP officers.(photo/ Sask. RCMP)

In 2024, the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) Assembly of Chiefs honoured the Sweet Grass’s security team and the CTA unit with star blankets, acknowledging their strong partnerships.

“They’ve been able to intervene in calls when we haven’t been able to get there in time, and their security will deal with it for us. Their security has helped us out quite a few times when the members have been on the scene for calls,” he shared.

Struggles: Short-Staffed

“I’m very impressed with the members here in the work that they did because we were able to get a lot of these numbers down despite the fact that we were short-staffed.”

He pointed out that the ongoing labour shortage continues to be a significant issue affecting not only them but also the RCMP across the country.

The situation concerning the Battlefords pertains to the vacancy of the non-commissioned officer (NCO) role, which is dedicated to crime prevention and victim services, and the staff sergeant role, which manages the operations of a police service division.

“So the rest of us in charge were trying to take on some of those duties, but obviously, we can’t do them all, so I think some of our crime prevention stuff did fall through the cracks,” he said.

Owing to the shortage, they could not initiate a project with The Battlefords Housing Authority last year. However, He shared that both positions were filled in November, so he is confident they will be able to catch up with the work in 2025.

When asked why not enough people are joining the police force, he said it’s hard to pinpoint a specific reason, but he believes the 2019 pandemic could play a role.

“I noticed the biggest change in my career, from COVID onwards, was that attitudes changed. And I think you have a lot of people just wondering, ‘Is the sacrifice worth it to do the job?’”

Struggles: Mental Health

Recognizing that most officers, including himself, often hesitate to seek mental health support, he believes this reluctance highlights an ongoing internal issue within their ranks.

“Our problem is because you’ve seen so much, and if you’re not proactively looking for that help. Eventually, it will come home to roost, and you’ll have to deal with it. “

A 2024 University of Regina study shows that RCMP members are six times more likely to have mental health disorders than the general population.

They are nearly twice as likely to experience generalized anxiety, major depression, PTSD, and panic disorder compared to other public safety personnel due to frequent trauma exposure, challenging stressors, and inadequate mental health support.

Gilbert shared that a comprehensive set of mental health resources is available to help officers maintain a healthy mentality. Still, the challenge is ensuring that officers feel comfortable using them.

“It’s getting a little bit better, only in the sense that we’re recognizing it more lately, but over the years, that was a challenge as well,” he said.

He went on to point out that the ongoing labour shortage is a major factor in their mental health challenges. He explains that when staffing is low and workloads rise, it puts pressure on team members who want to support each other.

“The thing with a lot of members is that teamwork mentality is built into your personality,” he said. “You might know you need help, but if you leave, you’re just putting more work on your co-workers you care about.”

“So that’s kind of the balance that we’re trying to get, which is delivering an operational policing service but being able to have members go off for help when needed.”

The Message to 2025

Despite their challenges last year, the detachment successfully identified effective strategies and initiatives to reduce crime.

Looking toward the future, he is optimistic about building on the momentum gained in 2024 and continuing to focus their efforts on proactive measures.

When asked to describe his team, one of the words he used was “perseverance.”

“The message going into 2025 is that even with the impacts we felt over 2024, we could still make a difference. So try not to lose hope. Try to stay focused on just doing the job we can do, and at the end of the day, it’ll work.”

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

‘Perseverance’: Battlefords RCMP commander reflects on 2024 and looks ahead to 2025

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