Public Safety Committee on Feb. 12th, 2013

[Chief Alf Rudd]

I'll focus my response on the “boots on the ground” aspect of that. We're big partners with the RCMP when it comes to combatting the larger problem of drug trafficking. Criminals don't base themselves out of Taber so much as they travel through, travel around, and touch down once in a while here. Drugs transport through here and move off to bigger centres and bigger organized crime groups. Without that partnership and the ability for the RCMP to continue providing that partnership, these larger investigations, although we initiate them and have the problem, we don't have the capacity to deal with them. So from the lower level you go from the National Police Services which Andy's touched on, and then you come down to the boots on the ground and maintaining that, I guess if you will, Big Brother partnership, that's valuable to us here.

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

That's an interesting comment—

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

No, there's no more time—but I do want to hear Chief Liu on that as well, just very quickly.

[Chief Kai Liu]

Just very quickly, I believe that for the front-line officers there's only one taxpayer. As chief of police, when I'm looking at developing my budget, there isn't federal money, there isn't provincial money. Essentially, I'm given a certain amount and I have to make do. I have to be innovative and develop partnerships with my neighbouring police services, the Ontario Provincial Police and Port Hope Police Services.

I think we need to accept some of our own responsibilities in developing our day-to-day operational money and move forward from there—

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Thank you. I'm sorry if I cut you off—I was enjoying what you were saying there—but I think we do have to conclude here. Our time is up.

I want to thank both Chief McGrogan and Chief Rudd from Alberta, joining us via teleconference, and also Chief Liu for appearing before us today.

This study will continue for some time. I know that all levels of government, municipal, provincial, and federal, are taken with the complex issues around the economics of policing. I want to thank you for your input today.

I would also say that in regard to some of questions you've been asked today—and I apologize, because our time today was cut somewhat short—you might think later of some way in which you could expand on an answer or give us other ideas. Sometimes after a day or two, you think, “Oh, man, I wish I'd answered it that way” or, “Here's another opportunity. Why didn't I say that?” Perhaps you wouldn't mind just forwarding some of that, through our clerk, to our committee. It will be given to each member as if you had presented it here.

Again, to the Alberta chiefs and also to Chief Liu, thank you so much.

We will conclude this part of the meeting. I'll ask the committee to remain behind. We have an in camera session.

Thank you very much.

[Proceedings continue in camera]