Yellowknife (Apr 18/03) - The Yellowknife detachment of the RCMP may not get any additional funding in favour of smaller communities who don't have officers at all, says Don Cooper, the NWT's deputy minister of justice.

"We're discussing their requirements with them," said Cooper. "They are looking for more resources.

"But our government, because of the census, is fiscally going into a period of some restraint."

Statistics Canada missed 3,000 people in its 2001 census, which could cost the NWT $100 million in federal funding.

Small communities also require two officers under the Canada Labour Code.

"That puts pressure on other detachments," Cooper said.

"So they're looking for a stand-by unit that can do that and increase frequency of RCMP presence in the communities that don't have any police at all. That's where the biggest pressure is right now."

It's not clear at this point if more resources will be made available locally, Cooper said.

"The RCMP is developing a plan within their existing resources to deal with problems in Yellowknife," he said.

The Yellowknife RCMP remains hopeful they will get the funding they need, said Insp. Greg Morrow, district policy officer.

But Morrow wouldn't be specific about what the Yellowknife RCMP has on their current wish list.

"There's a request in for additional resources," Morrow said.

"In the meantime we're providing the best possible service we can, and we'd like to keep the service elevated and get into some proactive duties."

MLAs are not as confident about those resources reaching the capital this year.

Yellowknife South MLA Brendan Bell grilled Justice Minister Roger Allen in the legislative assembly in February about funding for local cops, getting Allen to say on the record there hasn't been a funding increase since the 1980s.

"There has been a status quo on the level of funding," Allen said.

While police funding hasn't changed, Yellowknife's population has doubled since the mid-1980s, Bell said.

"It would only seem logical if your population is increasing the support services for that population would increase, too," said Yellowknife Mayor Gord Van Tighem on Tuesday.

Yellowknife currently has 30 officers.

In 1986 there were 28, Van Tighem said.

Cooper has met with Chief Supt. Everett Summerfield, commanding officer of "G" Division and other members of the force.

He explained that "historically" the GNWT wasn't getting enough "quality information" from the local RCMP.

"We needed more statistical back-up for why certain costs were being incurred," he said.

"We've asked a lot of questions about where their costs are and what they're doing to keep costs down. So that's been part of the dialogue.

"We'll have to see how it plays out over the next few months to see if there will be funding or not. I can't really say right now."

Van Tighem said while it's a GNWT fight as policing is the territory's responsibility, he sees it as part of his role "to keep the pressure on and ensure we are in the consideration."