Some changes could be coming to the way Battlefords RCMP provides regular updates to council on crime statistics.
Up until now, the monthly statistical reports compiled by the RCMP detailing crime trends in the community, have been presented at the monthly municipal services meetings. However, a change is being proposed where the RCMP would provide more periodic updates at the main council meetings themselves.
In the past, the crime reports were presented before the main council, but were moved to the municipal services committee a few years ago.
Councillor Brad Pattinson broached the proposal. He asked if crime reports could switch back to the regular city council meetings. The idea would be to allow the crime statistics to be broadcast, allowing the public greater access to the information.
While municipal services meetings are open to the public, full council meetings regularly receive more media coverage and are regularly televised by Access Communications.
There was discussion at Monday's municipal services meeting about how a change might take place. It was suggested by some councillors, including Ron Crush, that perhaps the monthly reports could continue at the municipal services meetings while less frequent, quarterly RCMP reports might be presented to the full council meetings on television.
It was also suggested those quarterly reports could be structured in an easy-to-understand manner for the general public, and that PowerPoint or other multimedia formats could be used to present the statistics and take advantage of the television coverage.
Municipal services chair Ray Fox was one of those who thought switching the crime reports to regular council meetings might be a good thing, saying there was a "certain level of comfort" with the information broadcast from TV.
That was echoed by Crush. "I think the public might take some comfort in knowing break and enters are down," he said.
City manager Jim Toye told council he would touch base with the RCMP to discuss the proposed changes further.
