SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Creating jobs for Northern residents is a big part of what the newly-formed Deton'Cho Scarlet Security Services is all about.

Patrick Doyle, president and part owner of the company, said the recently signed partnership between Deton'Cho Corporation and Scarlet Security Services Ltd. will focus hiring toward the labour force already available in Yellowknife.

Currently employing almost a half dozen people, 30 per cent are Northerners, mixed in are other highly trained staff, mostly ex-RCMP officers.

"We're a Northern company and I'm a long-time resident and Deton'Cho is Northern and so it benefits the North in the ownership of the company, but in our philosophy of training and offering employment opportunities for aboriginal and Northern hires," said Doyle.

"Over the next couple years we'll be able to phase in new trainees. The main focus is health and safety and ensuring our sites are secure and we operate in a secure environment and making sure our people are trained well.

We want as many Northerners working for us as we can while keeping up those high standards."

The partnership, announced at the end of January, has hit the ground running. The company recently signed contracts to provide security services for the Tibbitt to Contwoyto winter road, the Colomac lease road and will provide training and oversight for the DeBeers Snap Lake mine spur road, which links to the Tibbitt to Contwoyto road.

Doyle said the partnership with Deton'Cho Corporation, the business side of Yellowknives Dene First Nation, was a perfect fit for what he wanted to do.

"It's a benefit for both companies," Doyle said. "Scarlet has the industry experience and expertise and Deton'Cho has the regional expertise and obviously access to local labour markets as well.

"We're pretty quick out the gate. The partnership was a while in the making and we had to wait for this type of contract to come up. Now that we're formed we think having the contracts we have will open up a lot of doors as we begin to move forward."

Doyle said Deton'Cho Scarlet is focused on industrial-type security services and despite the fact contracts it currently holds are seasonal, he said the company is working hard to figure out a way to keep employees working all year around.

"We're looking at and talking to other mine sites and exploration companies and that sort of industry that's going on outside the winter road season and we're hoping to tap into that," he said. "We're hoping to get involved with that here in the NWT so we have year-round employment for our staff members."