Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Published Monday, December 17, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - A spokesperson for the RCMP says the idea of sending two officers on every call is not practical.

"There's no way we can do it," said Sgt. Larry O'Brien, the media relations officer with the RCMP's G Division in the NWT.

Sgt. Larry O'Brien

That especially applies in detachments where there are only two officers, he said.

O'Brien was responding to a lobby by Jodie Worden, the widow of Const. Christopher Worden. She has called for an end to officers responding to calls alone.

Her husband was on duty alone when he was shot and killed in Hay River on Oct. 6.

O'Brien said there are currently policies in place regarding calls that require response from more than one officer, such as domestic disputes.

"It's not as simple as saying it's officer discretion," he said.

The force is in the process of considering a national backup policy, which has been in development over the past couple of years.

Details of the new policy have not yet been released, but could be by the end of this month.

The issue of two officers responding to all calls has come to the forefront with the recent shooting deaths of RCMP constables in Hay River and in Nunavut.

O'Brien said, if two officers were required to answer every call, it would mean a doubling of the size of the force, and those extra members are simply not available.

Currently, there are just fewer than 200 RCMP officers in the NWT.

The deputy commissioner of the RCMP addressed efforts to create a national backup policy at a news conference in Ottawa on Dec. 5.

Bill Sweeney said RCMP cadets are taught to consider risk factors in any situation and drilled on applying appropriate tactics to safely respond to any threat.

"This includes stopping, perhaps tactically repositioning oneself, and waiting for backup to arrive to continue with the intervention," he said.

Up to now, the RCMP has relied on unit commanders to develop backup plans and procedures that reflect their operational realities.

Sweeney said members should not hesitate to call for backup when they deem it necessary.

"What we want to do in this policy is reinforce in their minds that certain calls must be handled through a multiple member approach, so that there is no ambiguity," he said. "We also want them to be clear on which situations can be handled with informed discretion, based on immediate circumstances."

The deputy commissioner said implementation of a national backup plan will require some time.