In a strongly worded letter to British Columbia’s Minister of Public Safety, Fort St. John Mayor Lilia Hansen expressed frustration with the RCMP over the lack of Regional General Investigation Service (GIS) resources.
In the letter, dated January 6, 2025, Hansen stated that GIS positions in the city have remained vacant for nearly three years, despite repeated assurances from the RCMP.
“We have made numerous inquiries with the RCMP, who have occasionally reassured us that efforts are being made to staff these positions,” reads the letter, which goes on to question the genuineness and effectiveness of recruitment.
“Recently, we have been given the impression that these efforts have stopped, and that the RCMP feels they can adequately serve our needs from Prince George,” said Hansen. “We are particularly suspicious of the sincerity of efforts to staff these positions since communications from the RCMP have repeatedly sought to reassure us and convince us of the absurd notion that our regional needs will be better served by resources based on the other side of the Pine Pass.”
She also criticized the ‘deceitful’ manner in which the positions were removed from the detachment without consultation, despite conversations with the director of Police Services that the move would be reversed.
According to Hansen, the city invested nearly two million dollars in constructing a dedicated office space for a GIS team within the current detachment on 100th Street, which opened in 2023.
“When we challenged the decision and the lack of consultation, we were advised that the same quality service could be provided to the region from Prince George,” said Hansen. “It is absurd to suggest that these positions could provide the same support for our region remotely.”
She cited high levels of frustration that the lack of resources places on city-funded plainclothes officers and the overall impact on the budget and public safety.
“Clearly, if the regional GIS resources were in place, this would be tolerable in an integrated detachment model. With those resources removed, it creates an unfair extra burden on our city budget and our city-funded resources,” said Hansen.
The mayor’s two-page letter then underscores that the absence of a GIS team has placed a greater workload on the current officers, exacerbating the challenges they face in combating rising crime rates.
Hansen is now calling on NDP Minister Garry Begg to take immediate action to restore GIS enforcement resources in Fort St. John.
“It will not be lost on you that serious crime in the region served by these dedicated resources has increased; this is no coincidence. As you are aware, the number of provincial resources in detachments is contentious, and nearly all municipalities feel that the provincial complement is inadequate,” said Hansen.
The letter is set to be presented to the Peace River Regional District during a Regional Board Meeting on January 23rd.