Prince Albert officers are about to diversify.
The service is announcing that community safety officers (CSOs) will take on traffic and liquor law enforcement, bylaw enforcement, and act as crime prevention community liaisons.
The CSOs are less trained than police officers, and can perform specific duties that free up frontline officers for what police call the “higher impact needs within our community.”
Two officers have been in training for several months and received new uniforms this week. The intention is to provide CSO training for current bylaw officers.
Within the past few weeks, CSOs received the authority to stop moving vehicles and enforce highway traffic violations without needing another police officer present.
“We see them being particularly helpful, now, when we have things like a bridge closure so that they can work in the place of an officer,” Police Chief Troy Cooper said.
The CSOs will look slightly different from Prince Albert police officers. First, they wear grey shirts. Secondly, their vehicles will say “special constable” but still have red and blue lights.
CSOs will be able to hand out tickets, but cannot make arrests. The shared access to the appropriate Prince Albert police resources is already in place with bylaw officers.
“It’s a cheaper, more efficient way to provide a policing service that is a priority for us but that is a low risk of harm,” Cooper said.
Cooper pointed out that currently, even on foot patrol, CSOs and bylaw officers encounter intoxicated people and are well-equipped to deal with the challenges that come along with that.
The CSOs have an impact on more people than just Prince Albert residents, Cooper said. As the “gateway to the north,” Prince Albert frequently sees visitors from other areas.
“We have a lot of… high traffic volumes that come in and out of the city,” he said.