Op-Ed Building Safer Communities Together

Op-ed by Chief Parhar, Alberta Sheriffs Police Service

Albertans expect that when they call for help, someone will be there.

Whether it is a property crime, a traffic collision, a community safety concern or a family in crisis, people want timely, professional police services that understand the communities they serve.

That expectation is especially important in rural Alberta.

Rural communities face unique public safety challenges. Officers often serve large geographic areas, travel significant distances and respond to a wide range of incidents. At the same time, rural residents want policing services that understand local realities and are responsive to local needs.

The Alberta Sheriffs Police Service (ASPS) is being built with those priorities in mind.

The ASPS is designed to strengthen policing capacity in Alberta and complement the province’s existing law enforcement system. As Alberta’s population continues to grow and communities evolve, public safety demands are changing. The ASPS is intended to help meet those future needs while providing communities with greater flexibility when considering their policing options.

For rural communities, effective policing is about more than responding to calls for service. It is about being present, understanding local concerns and building trust over time.

Albertans want police officers who understand the people they serve and the challenges facing their communities. They want officers who work with residents, community organizations, Indigenous communities and local leaders to help address public safety concerns and build safer communities.

The ASPS also builds on a strong foundation. Alberta Sheriffs have supported public safety across the province for many years, and that experience is helping shape the development of the new service. The organization is being developed by leveraging existing provincial law enforcement expertise, training capacity and operational resources already within the Alberta Sheriffs Branch.

As it evolves, the service will add to Alberta’s overall policing capacity while providing communities with another option should they choose to explore a different policing model in the future. There are no changes to existing policing arrangements, and municipalities would have clear information about services and costs before making any decisions.

As Alberta continues to grow, ensuring communities have access to professional, responsive policing services will remain important. By strengthening policing capacity and supporting local decision-making, the ASPS can help meet those evolving needs while contributing to safe and resilient communities across the province.

At the end of the day, policing is about people. It is about earning trust, fostering partnerships and helping Albertans feel safe. It is about working alongside residents to address local concerns and ensuring professional policing services are accessible no matter where people live.

As Chief of the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service, I believe the best public safety outcomes are achieved when law enforcement and communities work together. By working with municipalities, Indigenous communities, local organizations and residents, we can strengthen public safety and help build safer communities for generations to come.

Media inquiries
ASPS.media@gov.ab.ca

This op-ed is distributed by the Government of Alberta on behalf of the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service.