A new sheriff in town may reduce burden on RCMP
Twenty-four graduates from the Justice Institute of British Columbia’s sheriff-recruit training program are being dispersed throughout the province on March 7, with one sheriff coming to Fort St. John. A total of five sheriffs will be deployed to the North Region, according to Yusing Tsou, Public Affairs Officer with the Ministry of the Attorney General.
“Sheriffs,” Tsou added, “may be moved within the region, based on several factors, to ensure the best allocation of resources.”
BC Sheriff Service sheriffs help maintain a safe environment for everyone delivering justice services in BC, providing protective services for the Crown, judiciary, defense, court staff and all participants in the justice system. They also transport accused and convicted individuals to and from correctional institutions.
In his report to Fort St. John city council in August 2024, local RCMP detachment commander, Staff Sergeant Scott Watson, noted that a chronic lack of sheriffs is having a trickle-down effect on policing services in the community.
Watson said that Fort St. John has half the number of sheriffs that is needed to manage the next steps of the judicial process.
Without sheriffs, offenders can’t be transported to the regional facility in Prince George, and are instead being held in local jail cells, being looked after by local RCMP members. This is turn, takes the police away from their regular duties in the community.
Despite fluctuating levels of crime in and around Fort St. John, Watson told council that; “The volume we’re providing is not going down, but their ability to deal with the numbers is not the same as it used to be.”
In addition to Fort St. John, new sheriffs are being assigned to Victoria, Nanaimo, Penticton, Oliver, Quesnel, Dawson Creek, Terrace and the Lower Mainland. BCSS recruiting is on-going, with the next training class slated to start in the spring.
The Broken Typewriter reached out to the RCMP and City of FSJ for comment, but did not hear back in time for publication.