Okotoks town council should be rethinking its decision not to fund another RCMP officer to ensure the Crime Reduction Unit can remain operational.
Last week the Crime Reduction Unit (CRU) made another drug bust in Okotoks arresting and charging three people and seizing more than $20,000 in drugs and cash.
This is the fourth major drug arrest by the CRU in Okotoks in the last six months meaning the RCMP police unit is working.
The arrests will not eliminate the drug trade in Okotoks, but they will certainly have an impact as small time dealers must now realize they are being watched and watched closely.
However, the CRU unit is only operating in Okotoks because the town currently has three excess officers — officers who could be transferred at any time.
As a result, Okotoks RCMP asked the Town to fund an additional permanent officer at $134,000 per year to ensure the CRU would be able to continue to operate.
Council declined to fund the officer because, as Mayor Bill Robertson said, stats show crime is going down in Okotoks and another officer is not warranted.
Why, Mr. Mayor and council, do you think crime is down in Okotoks? Perhaps the presence of the CRU has career criminals looking elsewhere.
If you want this trend of crime reduction to continue council needs to support what is proving to be a highly effective police unit.
