SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Scheduling conflicts with police officer transfers are expected to cause manpower issues at the Yellowknife RCMP detachment this summer.

With 11 officers being transfered out of Yellowknife at different times this summer and their replacements not due to arrive on the same schedule, the detachment will be juggling its officers to make ends meet, Inspector David Elliott said at city council's Municipal Services Committee meeting Monday. He said the scheduling conflict will likely hamper the detachments ability to conduct foot and bike patrols.

There are about 32 RCMP officers at the Yellowknife detachment.

RCMP constables Jason Muzzerall, left, Andre Duval, Andrew Traynor, and Warren Hudym were the core members on last year's bike patrol, which patrolled the downtown core and the city's trail system. This year, there will only be three officers on bikes due to a lack of manpower. - NNSL file photo

"I think that would be very beneficial for the council to understand the limitations of the detachment," he said.

He the transfers will likely mean only three RCMP officers instead of four will be available for bike patrols and downtown foot patrols could be eliminated. The bike patrol is scheduled to resume June 1.

The RCMP's bike patrol was well received after its launch last year and was highly praised by city councillors at Monday's meeting.

Coun. Bob Brooks said residents have had nothing but positive things to say about the program, so he hopes it will continue.

Coun. David Wind agreed, and said the same thing about foot patrols.

In previous years, the RCMP had officers work overtime for the foot patrols downtown on Friday and Saturday nights.

"We didn't really think we were getting the most efficient use out of those officers," said Elliott, Monday.

"If we take an officer out of the car and put him walking around downtown, who's going to respond to the call at Frame Lake?" he asked.

Wind said he acknowledges the issue of manpower, but still feels the foot patrol is an important form of policing that has been well received by residents.

"What I hear from people around town ... more foot patrols would be welcome."

In light of questions raised by councillors during Monday's committee meeting, Elliott suggested he put together a presentation outlining how many officers the detachment has and what they do.

Coun. Amanda Mallon suggested the meeting include other agencies and committees that deal with social issues in the city.

"I feel that people need to be in one room talking about this," she said.

"I think it's really important for us and the public to understand that the answer to the solution is not just more police on the street because they have to know that that money has to come from somewhere," Mallon added.

The RCMP functions like the military, with transfers happening every year, said RCMP spokesperson Const. Kathy Law on Wednesday. And because of the scheduling of transfers, it can create manpower issues for the detachment.

"We'll lose the people at different times and gain the people at different times, as well," she said.

"There is going to be a period of time that we'll be down members.

"Some will be going out, but then we'll get new ones in, but the overlap isn't always overlap. In most cases there isn't overlap."

Law said depending on when the new officers arrive and if they've already completed the five-day bike patrol course, there might be a fourth member added to the team later in the season.

Whether it's three bikes or four, Law said the bike patrol is an important part of the detachment because an officer on a bike is less noticeable than an officer in a patrol car, making it easier to catch offences like drug dealing or public intoxication.

"It's a huge benefit," she said.

"They're patrolling the trail system throughout Yellowknife, as well as Tin Can Hill, those different areas, and they can get into alleyways and other places that the patrol cars can't get to."

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