City of Grande Prairie Enforcement Services and Mobile Outreach programming have officially transitioned under the Grande Prairie Police Service as of January 1st.
According to the city, bringing enforcement and outreach services under the GPPS is just one of a multi-step process in the transition to a municipal police service, and GPPS Chief Dwayne Lakusta says the change provides the opportunity for the GPPS to provide public safety to better serve the community.
Lakusta adds that the change marks the beginning of a “non-traditional” policing model, through developments in partnerships with community leaders on the front lines of Grande Prairie’s unhoused community.
“What we’re going to be doing is striking a balance between intervention and enforcement,” he says. “We’re going to be able to provide diversionary tactics to those that are suffering from mental health and addictions, providing them with a clean path forward.”
Chief Lakusta says implementing the change is beneficial for not just the community, but the GPPS as well, as the outreach program allows officers to be more readily available for more “serious” matters in the community.
“Having the outreach program, having enforcement services to deal with much of this stuff will free up our police officers as we move forward so they can deal with more of the serious matters where we might need that higher level of enforcement and investigative acumen.”
The city says current Enforcement Services and Mobile Outreach employees will continue to operate as normal in their respective positions; however, changes to deployment “are expected” to build a more responsive service with a significant presence in the city.
