Sgt. Scott Fefchak of the Westman RCMP Detachment joined R.M. of Wallace-Woodworth Council at this week’s virtual meeting for an informal dialogue and invited them to bring forward any concerns regarding municipal policing.
Fefchak, who is currently serving as the Acting Staff Sergeant, transferred to Virden from Moosomin in September, and feels that his knowledge of the territory has proven beneficial. “I don’t really have to get to know the area because I’m from the area, so that’s a plus,” he said. “I know a lot of the backroads that a lot of people take a lot of time to learn.”
The staffing challenges the RCMP are now facing dominated his conversation with councillors. One Constable has recently been transferred to God’s Lake Narrows in Northern Manitoba, and no replacement is expected in the near future. A local Corporal has been seconded to Brandon to work on the HUB Model, which Fefchak describes as “focusing on high-risk people to prevent calls for service from happening.”
The onslaught of COVID-19 stalled recruiting and resulted in the closure of the RCMP Training Academy in Regina.
“Organizationally, we’re in a bit of a tough spot,” Fefchak said. “They had the academy shut down so there’s not a lot of cadets coming out. We’re doing what we can with what we have. It’s manageable yet, but it’s going to get pretty tight if things don’t open up soon with new cadets.”
In response to a question from Coun. Mark Humphries, Fefchak said that despite it drawing members away from their regular duties, the Westman area has seen benefits from the Crime Reduction Enforcement Support Team (CREST) presently in place.
“They have taken positions from detachments to staff that,” he said. The unit conducts surveillance and tracks crimes which may involve incidents in multiple communities over a wide-area.
“CREST is really being helpful right now. They are very much behind the scenes. A lot of the things we do now are more than just in your face…pulling vehicles over, very visible things.”
During the discussion, Coun. Rea Kinnaird questioned plans for enforcement of COVID-19 public health orders, particularly if there are complaints regarding gatherings during the upcoming Christmas season.
Fefchak said that for now, it remains a work in progress.
“One of the first things we’ll be doing is reaching out to the health authorities and agencies, and saying “How is it you want us to respond to this?” He indicated that it is important to have consistency across the province as to how the orders are enforced.
Reeve Clayton Canart asked if there was a role for Council in pressing for a solution to the staffing issues.
“Yes, absolutely,” Fefchak said. “If there’s concerns and you can raise them up with the political leaders...talk to your Member of Parliament about RCMP resourcing. Politicians listen to voters, not police. I would encourage you to talk to your constituents and make that a topic. We can always use more police officers. They’re just not always there.”
