The County of Grande Prairie and the RCMP are exploring a potential partnership to build an RCMP rural Detachment in the community of Clairmont.  

As Clairmont nears a population of 5,000, the County will be required to fund RCMP resources for the community and provide a detachment soon.  

Plans are also under discussion to bring other local policing under the same roof: RCMP serving the east County, MD of Greenview and Sexsmith, who currently rent space at the RCMP Detachment in the City of Grande Prairie; Western Alberta District RCMP headquarters; and County Regional Enforcement Services personnel located in the County Community Services Building.  

Beaverlodge will retain its own RCMP Detachment to serve the community and the west County.  

County Council and the RCMP have exchanged letters expressing their intent to work collaboratively to explore options. County Reeve Leanne Beaupre said that as the local population rises, it is imperative that the County be proactive in exploring opportunities to continue delivering policing services in an effective and fiscally responsible manner.  

“Bringing rural enforcement together in a rurally-located Detachment is a smart model for policing as the region grows,” said Beaupre. “It supports more efficient planning and better response times to rural communities in the County and the region.”  

Beaupre said the RCMP lease would cover some of the costs of a new facility.  

"This rurally-located Detachment that is being proposed will improve the RCMP's response times in the County and will enhance coordination amongst the rural specialized RCMP units," said Inspector Edward Moreland, Acting Officer in Charge of Alberta RCMP Operational Strategy Branch. "The Alberta RCMP is committed to providing a high quality, efficient and responsive service to Albertans."  

Faced with the varied and complex demands of rural policing across a vast region, the County offers a full level of enforcement services with different responsibilities. The model is one of the most comprehensive models of enforcement in the province. The County’s Strategic Plan names safe communities as one of the key priorities for the County over the next five years.  

The County will be forming a Rural Policing Planning Committee consisting of select members of Council, Administration and the RCMP to explore this partnership. 

Information provided by the County of Grande Prairie.