LAC LA BICHE – National Police Week is from May 11-17. For over 50 years, this annual, nationally recognized week has been put on as a way for police agencies across Canada to connect with the communities they serve, and to increase awareness about the services they provide.
Staff Sgt. Christopher Mosley, commander of the Lac La Biche RCMP detachment, said as a police service, the RCMP works with the communities daily and therefore, it is important for officers to take a moment to recognize how vitally important it is that they continue to do so.
“By recognizing National Police Week, we remind ourselves that safe and healthy communities come from building and maintaining communication, collaboration, and trust between the police and those that we serve,” Mosley told Lakeland This Week.
While the theme for National Police Week 2025 is ‘Committed to Serve Together’, Mosley said local RCMP members do not see this as being merely a theme for this year, but something they live by in their daily lives throughout their careers.
In Lac La Biche, Mosley explained, the police service is committed to working with and supporting the many other emergency services, groups, and organizations that exist to keep communities safe.
“RCMP officers in Lac La Biche have been and are still actively engaged in volunteer and leadership roles outside of their official position, not for personal gain, but because they are your friends and neighbours who want to play a role in supporting a healthy community for all.”
With regards to staffing, Mosley stated that the Lac La Biche detachment is fortunate to be fully staffed at this time, with all the 19 positions filled.
“We have a healthy blend of experienced officers as well as officers who are new to the RCMP, with Lac La Biche being their first posting,” he said.
When asked what the priorities of the Lac La Biche RCMP detachment are for this year with regards to better serving the region, Mosley explained that these are crime reduction, traffic safety, and community engagement. Under each of these priorities, he added, the RCMP has initiatives and measures in place to help them work towards achieving success.
Regarding some of the challenges and difficulties with policing in rural Alberta, Mosley said one of the biggest challenges is the sheer size of the areas in which police officers serve.
“With all of the towns, summer villages, Indigenous communities, parks, campgrounds, recreational areas, and industrial sites dispersed across a detachment’s jurisdiction, responding to simultaneous events in different areas requires a strong ability to manage risk and to effectively deploy our limited police resources,” he said.
The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP), when speaking on the theme ‘Committed to Serve Together’ stated that communities want and expect the police to keep them safe.
“To residents, we are the police. They do not differentiate between patches or names but simply want one thing – for us to keep them safe and well,” said the CACP. “Police services across the country are joined in achieving this goal – we are committed to serve in communities across the country.”
